Chopper coping with additional costs
The Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter has seen a drop in jobs during the Covid-19 lockdown but the team is having to take extra steps to remain airborne during the crisis.
To help assist with the impacts of the coronavirus, including the additional costs associated with the increased safety requirements, Westpac NZ has donated an extra $1 million to the country’s rescue helicopters. Taranaki’s service will receive just over $30,000.
While a ban on adventure sports and some recreational outdoor activities has resulted in an overall reduction in flights, the service is still responding to car crashes, other emergency situations and carrying out hospital transfers.
Base manager Fergus MacLachlan said the service’s pilots and crew are wearing additional PPE when responding to callouts and following special procedures, in line with health services around the world, when putting on and removing the gear.
‘‘We have had to do training because if you do one step wrong you might as well not have worn it at all,’’ MacLachlan said.
The helicopter also had to be fully sterilised after any suspected coronavirus jobs, which could take more than an hour.
‘‘Generally if it’s a cardiac or respiratory problem that’s potentially a Covid case,’’ he said. ‘‘We have to be responsible and provide a service without infecting Taranaki. We are trying to protect Taranaki as well as help Taranaki.’’
Two separate crews, working 72-hour shifts, had been formed to ensure it remained operational.
‘‘That way if one person went down and that crew had to stand down for 14 days, we could maintain the service.’’
MacLachlan said renovations were being carried out at the hangar to provide a self-isolation area. A screen between the chopper’s cabins had also been installed.
Trust chairman Evan Cottam said Westpac’s extra donation would help services deal with the added costs of keeping their frontline workers safe.
‘‘We’re facing increased requirements around personal protective equipment and decontamination, as well as keeping our crews isolated,’’ Cottam said.