A busy week for the on-duty crew at the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter.
On Thursday 10 December the on-duty crew was deployed to the Tararua Ranges to rescue a tramper who could not cross a slip and was experiencing chest pain. LandSAR had located the man, supported him, and waited for the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter for airlifting.
The crew searched and found the party and the onboard Intensive Care Paramedic was winched down to assess the patient. The tramper was winched to safety.
On Friday 11 December the crew was deployed to Hunterville for a 55-year-old woman experiencing seizures. The woman required immediate transportation to Palmerston North Hospital
On Saturday 12 December, an 80-year-old man had fallen severely injuring his back. He was in a creek bed down a 400m gully that was covered in by bush. The onboard Intensive Care Paramedic and Crewman were deployed to locate the patient. The crew winched down the rescue equipment needed to extract the man. He was winched in a stretcher to safety followed by the medic. The patient was taken to Palmerston North Hospital.
Later on in the day, the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter crew were tasked to Dannevirke for a 23-year-old who had put his hand through a window severely cutting his right arm. He required surgery so was airlifted through to Palmerston North Hospital for immediate care.
We here at the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter have a policy of keeping the media informed of our work. We do this as a service to the media and in an effort to raise our profile with the public to assist with our fundraising campaigns. Our service is only possible because of sponsor support and donations. We appreciate seeing our name in any stories utilising information supplied by us.