Helicopter Rescue proves need for Service
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The helicopter pilot spotted the teenagers minutes after being alerted and flight nurse Pip Cotterell jumped into the water to keep the young men afloat until they could be brought to shore.
Heather Tanguay says the successful rescue on January 9 this year was achieved because the city had a helicopter service based in Palmerston North.
“Yet despite this clear evidence of such an essential need for a rescue helicopter, ACC will not commit itself to retaining the Palmerston North based service,†she says.
“In the light of this recent emergency ACC must urgently reconsider the stance it is taking about rationalising rescue helicopter services in the central North Island.
“The reality of the situation is that those teenagers would not have survived if a helicopter had to be flown here from either Wellington or Hastings.â€
Heather Tanguay says medical people emphasise that, in the case of a major trauma, it is important to get to the scene of a crash or incident quickly. With about 70 percent of missions in this region being carried out north of Palmerston North, a rescue service provided from Hawkes Bay or Wellington is just not fast enough she comments.
ACC has released a draft strategy which expands the capability of rescue helicopters in seven locations but not Palmerston North where a service has been based for the last 13 years.
The strategy is a discussion document and Mayor Tanguay is preparing a strong case to present to ACC next month. She also supports initiatives taken by local MPs, Simon Power and Steve Maharey.
“The important issue is not who operates the service but that we have one based in our city to respond quickly to the ongoing emergency work in the region,†she says.
The Mayor is hosting morning tea early next month to thank the people involved in the recent rescue off Tangimoana Beach.
Source: Palmerston North Council.
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