Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service

» Rescue Services (198)

Overview

Bavin Road, District Park Broadmeadow, New South Wales 2292

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service operates as part of the NSW Emergency Services. The helicopter operations are sourced through the NSW Ambulance Service Medical Retrieval Unit, Hunter New England Health, AusSAR and NSW Police Service.

t: view phone(02) 4952 0000

f: view fax(02) 4952 0055

w: www.rescuehelicopter.com.au

e: chopper@rescuehelicopter.com.au

Description

Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service is a community owned and operated aeromedical search and rescue service, serving the Hunter, Central Coast, Mid North Coast, New England and North West regions.

It is one of six helicopter services contracted by NSW Health to perform emergency services in the New South Wales community.

Each year the Helicopter Service performs over 1200 missions, rescuing people from accident scenes and transporting critically ill patients from small, rural hospitals to large tertiary hospitals, primarily the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle and the Base Hospital in Tamworth.

The Helicopter Service provides a free service to over one million people, covering a region of 132,000 square kilometres. Two helicopters are based in Newcastle and one in Tamworth.

The Service began in 1975
No patient has ever had to pay to be helped by Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service.
Over 50% of the missions flown by the Rescue Helicopters each year are to attend motor vehicle, bike, rural and industrial accidents. The most common of these are to attend the scene of motor vehicle accidents.
More than 1,250 missions are undertaken by the Service in our local community each year.
It costs around $11 million a year to keep the helicopters and their crews in the Hunter - Central Coast - Mid North Coast - New England - North West able to respond when needed.
Most of the cost to run the Service is funded through donations, Volunteer Support Group activities and sponsorships by the community.
The remainder is funded through contracts with the NSW Department of Health.
There are three helicopters. Two operate from Broadmeadow and one from Tamworth.
Each helicopter has a team highly trained pilots, crew members and in many instances paramedics.