Busy year already for rescuers
Fifteen rescue helicopter callouts in 24 hours
FROM firework injuries and a sea rescue to health events and lost trampers, a record 15 jobs in 24 hours were logged in the region by Otago Regional Rescue Helicopters over the new year period.
Jobs between about 3am on New Year’s Eve and the same time on New Year’s Day included a callout to Stewart Island shortly after 1am yesterday, when a man was hit in the eye with a sky rocket.
Chief pilot Graeme Gale, speaking yesterday afternoon, said there were a ‘‘significant number of jobs’’ of all types happening right across the region and it had been a very challenging and difficult time. ‘‘It just got really, really busy.’’ He thought it was probably a record number of emergency calls for the helicopter trust, which has helicopters in Dunedin, Te Anau and Queenstown.
The person hit by the sky rocket was flown to Southland Hospital in Invercargill with serious injuries.
Mr Gale said he could not provide any further details about the patient and a status update from the hospital was not available yesterday.
While serious, the firework call was not unusual and similar incidents had been seen over the years, Mr Gale said.
More unusual for the helicopter trust was the two people who were successfully winched out of the water on New Year’s Eve after being swept out to sea near Glenavy, north of Oamaru, when their boat sank.
The pair spent about an hour in the water before they were flown to Oamaru Hospital.
Other callouts in Otago included successful searches for trampers using locater beacons, one of them in Roxburgh, and a 10yearold child who was flown to hospital with a suspected spinal injury after an attempt at a backflip.
A helicopter was also called after someone was kicked in the back by a horse, and there was a neonatal callout in the Timaru area.
While there was good weather in Central Otago, poor conditions on the east coast on New Year’s Eve made it difficult to get in and out of Dunedin.
However the callouts in the last couple of days had all been successful, Mr Gale said.
‘‘Some of them have been accidents, but about half have been other events. It’s right across the spectrum, really,’’ he said.
While it was good to see ‘‘Kiwis being Kiwis’’ and having adventures over summer, people had to be responsible for what they did, Mr Gale said.
However, if things did get out of control, it was comforting to know there were rescue helicopter services across the country.
Callouts continued as New Year’s Day got under way, including a mountain biker being airlifted from Wanaka to Dunedin Hospital after a serious accident in the early afternoon.
Before the rush of events over new year, there was also a medical event on board a cruise ship in Milford Sound, on December 30.
‘‘The weather was very poor [and] it was getting dark so we got Hannibal [Sir Richard ‘‘Hannibal’’ Hayes of Southern Lakes Helicopters] to retrieve the patient back to Te Anau, where we were waiting with the team, with blood, to transport to Dunedin,’’ Mr Gale said.