BIGGER is better when it comes to rescue choppers and in 2017 Orange will replace its helicopter with a larger one, capable of medical retrievals in situations the smaller one could not manage.
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“This is the last piece to fall into the puzzle,” member for Orange Andrew Gee said.
In 2011 Mr Gee presented a petition in the NSW Parliament of 30,000 signatures from people in the central west calling for a 24-hour helicopter retrieval service and after three years of lobbying the good news finally arrived.
But a larger helicopter is needed to complete the service and by about April 2017 Orange will have its own Augusta Westland 139 operating from its planned home at the Orange airport.
Mr Gee said the helicopter in use struggled at times with heavier loads and crews often had to dump fuel to “get the bird in the air”.
“The new helicopter is capable of transporting medical retrieval teams, including those for sick babies and children, faster and further than ever before,” he said.
“This means more coverage for the region and capacity to transport a wider range of patients.”
Station manager and senior paramedic Nathan Croft said since the 24-hour service started in March, crews doubled the number of retrievals.
“Just this month we ticked over to 400 jobs and this time last year we did 248,” he said.
However, it is not all good news for the helicopter crews.
A new contractor has been announced along with the new helicopter and that could mean the nine-person crew of pilots and engineers at the Redmond Place base could be out of a job.
The contract was awarded to Toll Helicopters not CHC.
Mr Gee said he had been assured that during the transition to the new network, the operator would hold discussions “with a view” to engage present operator staff.
