The trust runs annual appeals to top up funding received from Northland energy companies Top Energy and Northpower, and encourages Northlanders to make any small donation they can to keep their service running. When it rains it pours and the saying could never be truer for pilots and paramedics flying for Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) during summer. Rescue teams are up in the air three times a day on average but this figure can swell during the summer season - or occasionally theyre not up at all. Part of the attraction is you dont know whats in store, chief executive Peter Turnbull says. On the hot January day we visit there have been reports of a downed microlight at Ruakaka Beach. Witnesses report hearing the small plane stall before disappearing over sand dunes, and its a mad race to find the crash site. However not long after the alarm is raised the pilots are told to turn around and to make dash to the Waipu River mouth after reports of a child getting into trouble in the water. The small plane is eventually located safe some hours later, but tragically, the child drowns. Advanced paramedic Scott Mears arrives at the river mouth after 2pm to find a lifeguard performing CPR but the 11-year-old cant be saved. Its a reminder of why community-owned NEST exists - to provide emergency responses in an area known for its tricky terrain, remote towns and the distance from precious hospital resources. If its not traffic accidents and water rescues in summer its illnesses and weather bombs during winter, which is why Turnbull says the trust is a necessity for Northland communities. The speed of transportation and getting people to definitive healthcare is why its here, but thats made more necessary because of the length of Northland, he says. Its about 150 miles [240 kilometres] from top to bottom and the terrain and the roads are difficult. It can take a long time to get to hospitals. A retrieval from one of the regions furthest points could take up to four hours by road ambulance but just 40 minutes by helicopter, he estimates. But the cost of running a single flight is about $5000 for a mere hour. Times that by six and Turnbull says, the helicopters gobble up money all right. Were carrying about 1000 people a year in Northland now and each year theres been an increase and it puts more demand on our service, he says. This is why NESTs seasonal fundraising campaigns and donations from the public are so important. Part of their fundraising is helped by selling rides on their helicopter simulator- a virtual replica of their Sikorsky S-76 helicopter, said to be the best chopper in the country and the same one pilots operate on rescues. Although located at Whangarei Airport the simulator has the ability to fly you under Aucklands Harbour Bridge for an hour. Trust general manager Vanessa Furze says the simulator is as close to the real deal as you can get. The pilots say its really close to the real thing, she says. It definitely feels like youre flying and taking off. Its amazing [and] any money raised goes straight back into NEST. If youre afraid of heights, donations can be made through the trusts website nest.org.nz.
Posted on: Wed, 21 Jan 2015 05:27:27 +0000
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