Onboard the Northland rescue helicopter

[HamiltonWest]

Onboard the Northland rescue helicopter
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/64873096/o...scue-helicopter

[Ian Warren]

Think the same go's all around the NZ , wonder what did happen in days off old before Helicopter rescue services, people getting more brazen with their toys or they simply perished, interesting to see the stats on that.

[Charl]

I have an issue with the "Charity" component in the rescue helicopter services, and I'd be interested to hear other "takes" on this.
There surely can be only 2 reasons why charity is needed to supplement the income:
1. The users (hospitals, ambulances) pay too little
2. The helicopter charges too much

If it's for the first reason... I can understand in the early days, that rescue services were volunteer based, and so would rely on community support.
But in the 21st century there is an ongoing and growing need for this (did he say 1,000 rescues?).
So surely a permanent Rescue Service should be fully (and centrally) funded?

If it's for the second... time to fund centrally and tender the contract.

Either way, I have difficulty giving money to something called the "XYZ Company Rescue Helicopter"
They'd effectively be getting the advertising exposure at a discount, with my help.

Maybe it's just post Christmas grinching, eh... what say you?

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Charl @ Jan 13 2015,4:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have an issue with the "Charity" component in the rescue helicopter services, and I'd be interested to hear other "takes" on this.
There surely can be only 2 reasons why charity is needed to supplement the income:

I was very surprised to learn St John was a charity, all this since .. hells only in the recent decade or later, I originally thought the ambulance was a part off the whole health system, not until adverts on TV and course in the last four years I have been in one and two cases arriving home here, one was due to panic buttons pushed by Splitpin.

I did donate to the WESPAC Helicopter rescue up to those four years back only because the aircraft theme, but outta work that is put aside - I do have a plan to do a drawing off a rescue along a theme and organize percentages to go back to the Helicopter group ... that has not got off the ground yet but a good plan to give me more exposed.

[Charl]

Sounds like a win-win Ian.

Nobody else seems to be interested in commenting, wonder if that's because no-one donates?

[Ian Warren]

QUOTE (Charl @ Jan 13 2015,4:31 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

But in the 21st century there is an ongoing and growing need for this (did he say 1,000 rescues?).

Every time I go out to the airport just on the off chance the crew has put down and on down-time to have a chat, but the recent trips , I asked at the desk they had just returned and had just left to head to another accident , another visit the was in transit to Timaru for Dunedin ... no wonder it costs so much and in the weekends I see it across my place sometimes twice three times a day ! , that cannot be cheap.

[towerguy]

I try to donate in a more practical way.
Whenever they need a transit through the zone I bend over backwards to make sure there is as little delay or rerouting as possible.
I figure if I do this about 20 times a year and save even 1 minute of flight time at approx $1500 per hour ( just a guesstimate)
then it saves about $500.
That's my donation.

[Charl]

Chief pilot and CEO Pete Turnbull reckons $5000/h (0:54 in the clip) so that's a substantial donation: $1500 per annum.

[SeanTK]

It is interesting to me that your aeromedical services (all of them, most of them, some of them...what?) are donation-based. It was honestly a bit off-putting to me to see images of some of the rescue helicopters over there that are plastered with so many advertisements.
In the US, most of our medical services are owned and/or operated by one or two organizations (or a dedicated company providing service to a region) so you don't see these medical helicopters flying around with restaurant, bank, and automotive ads all over the place.

Comparing something like these two:
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Garden-City...1721d62696b19c9
http://www.airliners.net/photo/Garden-City...8dec45b168d9f86

...to pretty much any air ambulance provider in the US...

[Ian Warren]

Donation Services , almost like the "Repo Men" buy a organ .. whoops can't pay for it .. we will take it back.

[NZ255]

QUOTE (SeanTK @ Jan 14 2015,1:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It is interesting to me that your aeromedical services (all of them, most of them, some of them...what?) are donation-based. It was honestly a bit off-putting to me to see images of some of the rescue helicopters over there that are plastered with so many advertisements.
In the US, most of our medical services are owned and/or operated by one or two organizations (or a dedicated company providing service to a region) so you don't see these medical helicopters flying around with restaurant, bank, and automotive ads all over the place.

Are they free though? There's no cost to the patient be it direct or though insurance for the free ambulances or the rescue helicopters

[SeanTK]

No, our programs would likely be unfeasible if they were free and relied on donations, or at the very least, the helicopter and medical technology wouldn't be the latest and greatest if that was the case...at least in the larger US market.
I imagine that your aeromedical programs can live through donations in part due to a smaller overall market size and fewer operators.

[dbcunnz]

I think that if a percentage of NZ lotto funds where allocated to funding the rescue helicopters around NZ would be a far better use of the money than most of the other projects they give grants to.

[Ian Warren]

That's more a promising idea, mind ya only brought one lotto ticket .. a months after the game started , divide 5 bucks into how many years lotto has been running they'd call me Mr Scrooge.

[Charl]

QUOTE (SeanTK @ Jan 15 2015,12:44 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I imagine that your aeromedical programs can live through donations in part due to a smaller overall market size and fewer operators.

Per capita, we have the highest number of... anything, you name it: helicopters, bad drivers, politicians...

[Splitpin]

QUOTE (Charl @ Jan 15 2015,3:40 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Per capita, we have the highest number of... anything, you name it: helicopters, bad drivers, politicians...

Thats true Charl , for somewhere thats really nowhere , we are really out there.
Btw , Im a long standing supporter of the Westpac chopper , St Johns and the stroke foundation , used to be more , but it all got a bit much so i cut back to just three.