Missions
Our emergency missions are tasked by NSW Ambulance in response to Triple Zero (000) calls. Every life we save and every person we assist provides a reminder of the critical role we play within the Northern NSW emergency care chain.
Pre-Hospital Emergencies
Early intervention and stabilisation as well as rapid transport helps to save lives. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter is called to Pre-Hospital emergencies when patients are hard to access, their condition is time critical or if they cannot be accessed by ground based emergency services. The aeromedical capability of the helicopter along with its endurance and speed enable the Helicopter Critical Care Medical Team, to access patients in any environment to deliver the highest level of care.
The medical team is trained and equipped to conduct specialised insertion and extraction techniques in remote and hard to access locations. Rapid response, access, stabilisation and extrication increases the chance of positive outcomes for critically ill or injured patients.
These types of missions can include motor vehicle, industrial, farming, aviation, boating and misadventure accidents, as well as injuries sustained at home.
Inter-Hospital Transfers
Inter-Hospital Transfers are conducted for critically ill or injured patients that require specialist care and timely transfer from a regional hospital to a specialist tertiary facility. These types of missions are undertaken for paediatric, neonatal, spinal injuries, burns, cardiac patients as well as people requiring specialist neurosurgical and trauma care.
Our team provide high levels of emergency care to the patient as we manage their clinical needs, safely and rapidly delivering them to the most appropriate destination. Inter-Hospital Transfers are often time critical missions, with our aircrew flying patients from across every corner of the state.
Search and Rescue
The Westpac Rescue Helicopter is equipped to conduct and assist with land and marine based search and rescue operations 24/7 in all types of conditions. We are able to provide critical care and specialist extrication, should it be required. Our Service supports national and state agencies, such as Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA), NSW Police, Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), as well as volunteer support agencies to locate missing persons in the most extreme of environments.
Examples of this may include searches for: distress beacons, missing vessels, persons and aircraft. Often these types of mission require the extraction of people from remote and hard to access locations.
