The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service was founded in 1973 by Surf Life Saving Australia. Since this time, the Service has carried out more than 50,000 flights ranging from patient transfers to search and rescue missions
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service is the longest serving search and rescue helicopter service in the world, it is also the largest non-profit search and rescue, and aeromedical retrieval service in Australia.
Its aircraft and trained medical and operational crews respond quickly and effectively to emergencies threatening the life, health and safety of people caused through medical emergency, illness, natural disaster, accidents or mishap.
The major sponsor of the helicopter services is the banking corporation, Westpac.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service operates in fives states in Australia and New Zealand. These states are:
Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service has four operation bases and a total of eight rescue aircraft in New South Wales. All ambulance contracted helicopters in NSW fly with onboard doctors and paramedics.
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter base in Newcastle serves as the head of operations for the Newcastle and Tamworth services.
Note: During the first half of 2011 Westpac 2 will be based in Tamworth along with the current Tamworth BK 117 'Westpac 3'.
The Newcastle base will house a newly purchased second Bell 412, an EP model to go with the existing 412SP.
Mid June 2011 the new Bell 412 arrived at the Newcastle base and will enter full service in two months. The new Bell 412 (Westpac 2) had its first mission on 16 August 2011 [1]. The aircraft flew 200 kilometres off the Port Macquarie coastline to collect a sick crewman onboard a bulk carrier.[1]
Lismores base also houses a third Life Saver helicopter purchased for a possible Coffs Harbour base.
With support of major sponsor, Westpac Bank, Southern Region opened a summer time base at Moruya Airport in December 2010 for three months. A total of 67 missions were achieved in the first season. The previous Labor Government provided funding for Sydney to return to 24/7 operations (from 1st October 2011) and the south coast service would become a year round, day-time operation (from 1st December 2011). Southern now operates two bases covering from the Central Coast to the Victorian border.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters patrols the southeast Queensland coast, performing beach patrols, shark sightings and warnings and provides assistance to Surf Lifesavers in the water and on the beach. Westpac also sponsors three Jet Rescue Boats (JRB) in Queensland.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter is being re-introduced in the upcoming season. The Westpac Aerial Service, which currently consists of Lifesaver 7, a fixed wing Cessna 337 and Lifesaver 8, also a fixed wing, Partenavia P68-B, will have the increased capability of a rescue helicopter. The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter will conduct regular patrols and undertake rescue missions across Victoria.
The service will work closely with the volunteer beach patrols, paid lifeguards, and offshore services, and is readily available to assist other emergency services and government agencies. The service will also undertake community education and promotional activities throughout the year and will be available 24/7 for call-outs.
Life Saving Victoria also works closely with the police air-wing and the Southern Peninsula Rescue Squad which enables the fastest response to emergency calls.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service in Tasmania plays a vital part of the emergency services for the people living in Tasmania. The helicopter plays a similar role to the helicopters in New South Wales and has a contract with the Ambulance Service of Tasmania as well as the Tasmanian Police.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter in South Australia patrols beaches on weekends, public holidays and busy weekdays over summer from November through to March each year. Its patrolling region is the Adelaide coastline from North Haven to Normanville, and the South Coast from Parsons Beach to the Murray Mouth, including Victor Harbor, Port Elliot, Middleton and Goolwa. It works together with other Surf Lifesaving support services, including Lifesaver 1 and Lifesaver 3, the state Jet Rescue Boats.
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter in WA was launched in December 2008 and patrols beaches on weekends, public holidays and busy weekdays over the summer months.
The Wespac Life Saver Rescue Helicopters respond to medical emergencies throughout the majority of Australia, covering hundreds of thousands of square kilometres of bushland, mountain ranges, Australia's busiest highways as well as the coastlines of New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Tasmania.
The helicopters are tasked to undertake a number of different missions:
The service's pilots are highly trained having flown thousands of hours in twin engined aircraft.
The air crewman assists the pilot with communication, navigation and landing by providing the pilot with accurate clearance, helicopter safety and operating the rescue winch.
A rescue crewman is qualified and proficient in the operation of both equipment techniques necessary to be despatched from the helicopter to a person or persons in distress and to render the necessary aid prior to evacuation by the most appropriate means. This includes going down the winch, scaling cliff faces and swimming. Rescue crew are also responsible for passenger safety during Passenger Transport Operations.
Special Casualty Access Team (S.C.A.T.) paramedics possess elite skills in intensive care / Advance Life Support (ALS) and trauma management, have skills in accessing and treating patients in difficult or remote locations e.g. canyons, vertical access, caves, etc. SCAT work closely with the local accredited rescue units to access, assess, triage and treat patients. When required, SCAT may also provide assistance with the extrication of the patient. They provide patient care and are responsible for preparing the aero medical evacuation missions, coordinating with the flight crew and other medical personnel, as well as liaising with retrieval services.
Doctors specially qualified in Emergency Care and retrieval medicine are also part of the team. This enables the crew to provide critical care to a patients anywhere it is needed.
Westpac 1 is a Bell 412 (VH-HRS), based in Newcastle.
This helicopter is a Bell 412 (VH-WSR) based at the Newcastle base. Westpac 2 is the first response aircraft.
Mid 2011 this new helicopter took over the callsign Westpac 2 which was previously assigned to the Kawasaki Heavy Industries BK 117B2 (VH-HRR) based in Newcastle.
This helicopter is a twin engine BK117 (VH-HRT), based in Tamworth.[2]
This callsign was previously assigned to a Bell 407 which was involved in an accident in February 2007[3]
This helicopter is a twin engine BK117 (VH-HRR), based in Tamworth.
The previous callsign of this helicopter was Westpac 2.
Before the change of location and callsign this helicopter worked out of the Newcastle base.
Lifesaver 1 is a Kawasaki Heavy Industries BK 117B2 (VH-SLA).[4]
This helicopter is a twin engine Eurocopter AS 365 N2 Dauphin, based in Lismore.[5] Services Northern NSW & South East QLD.
Lifesaver 3 is a Kawasaki Heavy Industries BK 117B2 (VH-SLU). It is based on the NSW South Coast out of Moruya Airport.[4]
This helicopter is a twin engine Eurocopter SA 365 N2 Dauphin, based in Lismore.[5]
Primary Aircraft - Eurocopter AS350 B2 Squirrel. Used for static line rescue and as an observation platform.
Lifesaver 7 is a Eurocopter EC135. Used only as an observation platform and for dropping rescue swimmers.
Lifesaver 8 is a fixed wing Partenavia P68-B, used mainly for shark spotting. (Retired late 2009)
These helicopters are - a Eurocopter AS-350BA Super D1 and, the Eurocopter EC-135P2.
This helicopter is a Eurocopter AS-350BA.
This helicopter is usually a Eurocopter AS-350B. Registration VH-ELP. The helicopter is named 'Nick' after Nick Peterson who was tragically taken by a shark of the Adelaide coastline. The helicopter is currently operating as a Bell 206 Jetranger III.
'Lifesaver 1'
This helicopter is a Bell 206, Jetranger VH-BIN based at Floreat Beach Perth during summer from October until March.
In late 2006, the future of the Westpac Life Saver and CareFlight International helicopter services in the Sydney region was put in doubt. The NSW Government had sought a new tender to provide EMS services for the Sydney and Central West areas.
Mid December 2006, the NSW Health Minister, John Hatzistergos, announced that the Canadian Helicopter Corporation (CHC) had won the tendering process and subsequently the Westpac Life Saver and Careflight services in the Sydney region would end as of 31 December 2006.
The services of the Sydney Westpac Helicopter were terminated at the end of May 2007 whilst CareFlight, though losing its traditional contract, continues to provide doctors to the Ambulance Rescue Helicopters in Sydney and Orange.
Westpac Life Saver announced that they would continue their services after May 2007 by returning to their original purpose as a search and rescue helicopter as part of the Sydney Life Saving Australia.
Throughout the change over period, the general public and the Opposition NSW Government were outraged by the replacing a charity based, not-for-profit organisation with a profit-driven service.
While Westpac Rescue (throughout Australia) and the CareFlight helicopter services have always worked on the basis that no person in need should pay for the usage of the aircraft, the NSW Government-appointed CHC Helicopter services charge for the usage of their aircraft. What is less well publicised is that the operators that provide aircraft to CareFlight are commercial services that operate on a "for profit" basis and that many staff including doctors and pilots are not volunteers, but are employed whilst working with CareFlight.
As of December 2009 CHC are quietly trying to sell the Australian wing of the Emergency Helicopters. This follows a series of mishaps which have included engine failures, windows falling out of the aircraft, no installed air conditioning system inside the cabin as well as response delays to accident sites.[6]
The Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Services will continue to operate from the Newcastle/Hunter Region, Tamworth and Lismore bases in New South Wales and all other states where the helicopter service exists.