19 January 2015

The rescue helicopter flies in for a visit

THE Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service flew in for a visit around a number of Whitehaven mine sites.

The visit allowed the Rescue Helicopter to inspect and clarify coordinates of mine site helipads and increase Emergency Rescue Tteam members understanding of working around the aircraft.

Westpac helicopter Service Community Liaison Officer Michael Wilson said the Service works very closely with the mining management team and staff in the Gunnedah basin on safety planning.

“The mining industry provides such great support to the Service and we do our best to ensure we can be there for them too”, he said.

Paul Flynn, CEO and Managing Director of Whitehaven Coal, said: “The Westpac Rescue Helicopter provides a much valued operation to the Gunnedah basin region. As a company we match dollar-for-dollar the donations made by our staff to the Service. Last year this totalled nearly $100,000 which shows how much all of our employees value such an important Service.”

Community support combined with local companies and staff support through workplace giving ensure the rescue helicopters are there when and where they are needed free of charge to all of those in need.

The Rescue Helicopter undertakes more than 1000 missions each year and covers the Hunter, New England-North West, Central Coast and Mid-North Coast regions of NSW, including a population of 1.2million people

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