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Our local Curriculum in action
What a way to end our awesome AIRCRAFT topic by visiting the rescue waka topatopa helicopters and hearing first-hand about the Northland Emergency Service Trust (NEST)—who they are and what they do—from the fantastic men and women who work there. A BIG ngā mihi nui to all the whānau helpers; ehara koutou i a ia, we were fortunate to have you all with us. We arrived excited and ready to learn.
As we waited for the waka topatopa crew, we had a debrief on safety and expectations. We congregated in the waka topatopa bay, where we were introduced to the pilots and paramedics on standby. They told us some incredible facts about the aircraft and the operation. We then split into two groups: one with the pilots and the other with the paramedics, swapping around later. We saw the waka topatopa named OSCAR first and got to see how the winch works on a rescue helicopter. It is a vital tool that allows a paramedic to be lowered down to a patient and for the patient to be lifted into the cabin. We also learnt about their night vision goggles, which turn night into a green-tinged day.
Next, our group visited the paramedics with the second waka topatopa outside. We tried on the earmuffs and headsets. Helicopters are exceptionally loud because the rotor blades are moving large volumes of air, and the engines themselves are VERY noisy. Passengers wear earmuffs to help reduce the impact of the noise, while the crew wear headsets to communicate. They also showed us their collapsible rescue basket for quick rescues and their flotation device for sea rescues.
As the rain clouds started to gather, it was time to say ka kite and head back to our centre. On the way back, we stopped for a drink, a few biscuits, and a quick play at the park.
Some Facts We Learnt
Northland rescue helicopters cover one of the largest areas in New Zealand. All three of their helicopters are equipped for both land and sea rescues, making them one of only a few regions that do this. They land in places where ambulances can't reach, in hard-to-reach areas. At a top speed of 280 km/hr, they are very fast. Each helicopter carries two pilots, two paramedics, a patient, and a support person. Currently, they respond to 1100-1200 emergencies a year, 28,000 since 1988. For every one hour of flight time, there are four hours of maintenance and system checks.