Date: 31 Mar 2004
Time: 15:09
Over 900 patients have been transferred through New Zealand’s Life Flight Air Rescue Centre during its first year of operation. The Life Flight Trust, operator of the Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Life Flight NZ Air Ambulance has been operating from the dedicated Air Rescue Centre since it was officially opened by Governor-General Dame Sylvia Cartwright on 3 March 2003. "In our first year the dedicated Air Rescue Centre has proven that it can meet our needs and, more importantly, the needs of our patients" says Kevin Allan, Life Flight General Manager. "Transferring patients under cover, instead of out on the tarmac, was one of the major benefits we saw for the new facility. Already 910 patients have been transferred". The Air Rescue Centre would not have been possible without the support of the New Zealand Lottery Grants Board, New Zealand Community Trust and the thousands of organisations and individuals throughout the region who supported the project. Another important benefit of the centre has been that the Westpac Rescue Helicopter has started up or shut down inside its dedicated hangar on many occasions - a requirement when winds exceed 90kph. The Life Flight Air Rescue Centre is located on the western side of Wellington International Airport. The general public will have a chance to walk through the centre and view the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Life Flight NZ Air Ambulance during the 2nd Life Flight Open Day to be held on Sunday 2 May 2004.
Date: 08 Apr 2003
Time: 11:18
On the 9th April 2003, the UK’s Coastguard is planning to run an exercise entitled ‘London Glitz’. The exercise is not based around an actual search and rescue scenario but the use of a civilian search and rescue helicopter within the London area.
The exercise will be a run-through from west to east, down-river along the civil helicopter lane from Kew to the lower reaches, relaying from emergency service boat to emergency service boat.
Such an exercise will require good communication and co-operation between the various participating services, and the exercise will familiarise participants with the requirements, advantages and limitations of helicopter operations in the event of a major civil incident.
Adrian Bates, District Controller at London Coastguard, said:
“ One of our Coastguard helicopters will lift from Lee-on-Solent on the south coast and on board will be a marine support officer from the Metropolitan Police, as a local knowledge ‘spotter’ for external search and rescue helicopters within the London conurbation.
“ The exercise will resemble a relay race in general format. The aircraft will enter the London civilian helicopter lane at Kew Bridge at about 3pm, picking up the River Thames and heading east, downstream, encountering each player in turn as it progresses. The first unit encountered will be the Chiswick in-shore lifeboat(ILB).
“ The aircrew will winch one crew-member from the ILB on-board the aircraft, before proceeding to the next unit, London Fire Brigade Fire Launch `Fire Dart’ or ‘Fire Flash’.
“ There, the air crew will lower to deck one crewman from the Chiswick ILB and winch-up one fire-fighter for relaying to the next unit and so-on. Thus, each launch will have one stranger lowered to her deck, and one crewman taken from her to the next boat - a ‘relay’ of persons down the river.
“ The information room at New Scotland Yard will be asked by London Coastguard to patch various communications with the lifeboat service and with the pilot at the outset of the `incident’ This will help to develop familiarisation of operating within the London environment for the flight crew of Coastguard helicopter `India Juliet’ and to help the air crew's local knowledge.
“ During the exercise, various winching operations will take place with lifeboat crews which will familiarise the RNLI E-Class in shore lifeboat crews from Chiswick and Tower Pier with helicopter operations. It will also create awareness within the air traffic community of the possible deployment within the London area of the Coastguard aircraft.
“ We are very pleased to have the opportunity to undertake this exercise and to be able to familiarise other organisations in our way of working on the coast and at sea in the event of an emergency within the London area.”