RECRUITS READY TO SAVE LIVES FROM THE SKY
JUMPING from a chopper to save lives is not a job for the faint hearted but these three Gold Coasters are taking it in their stride.
Medical student Nikki Wood, 25, IT worker Scott Andrews, 36, and nurse Katherine Mackenzie, 29, are the first new Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Service recruits in three years.
Following three months of training the crew said they were well prepared for the season ahead.
“One of the first things we did was watch about an hour and a half of helicopter crashes for the safety modules,” Ms Wood said.
“That really drove home the seriousness (of the job) but we’ve all been in rescues before because we’ve been involved with surf lifesaving for so long. You’re still looking for the same things for people who’re in trouble. Once we get into the water it’s the same rescue.”
While the lifesavers are trusted to jump from helicopters worth $5.5 million, chief training officer Andrew McNeilly stressed they were not elite – just highly trained.
“We don’t consider ourselves as elite – by the nature of this organisation we can only take in so many,” Mr McNeilly said.
Out of more than 5000 patrolling lifesavers in Queensland, he said the service received 42 applications.
That was narrowed down through months of physical, academic and social tests before the final three were accepted. Then the real training began, including $25,000 in flight time for each crew member.