Search and Rescue

To:                     All Media

From:                   Detective Sergeant John Wilson
                      
Date:                   19 April 2012

Subject:                Busy time  for Search & Rescue

So far this "roar" hunters have been well behaved in the Rotorua area.

There have been several search & rescue jobs which have come about as a result of sensible hunters going into the field well prepared, and using the technology available to them when they needed help.

The first of these involving the Rotorua Police Search & Rescue squad was during the evening of 9 April when a Whakatane man was airlifted to Rotorua after an associate was lost and had set off his distress beacon.

Rotorua Police SAR were called on to interview the man, gathering information about his missing companion vital to the next step in the search procedure, which occurred the following day.  This resulted in the lost man being found early the next morning.

That same day Police Search & Rescue Squad members were also called upon to recover the body of a 55 year old woman from Te Urewera National Park, near Ruatahuna.  The woman had collapsed and passed away the preceding evening at about 5.30 pm.  The remoteness of the location meant that she needed to be recovered with the use of a helicopter.

On Wednesday 11 April another distress beacon was set off, this time in an area north of Ruatahuna, co-incidentally near to where the body had been recovered the previous day.

A rescue helicopter from the Hawkes Bay located a hunter who had become lost the previous day and had set his beacon off.  He was airlifted to Murupara.  This hunter's companion, nor the camp where they had been staying, was able to be located at this time.  Although the remaining hunter would have been aware his companion had failed to return to camp, he could not have known he had subsequently been rescued.

Because of their local knowledge of the area Rotorua Police Search & Rescue Squad members were tasked with locating the hunters camp, and evacuating the remaining hunter from the bush. This involved some particularly challenging flying, as the pair had elected to erect their camp site in the middle of the helipad!

Police are pleased with the foresight shown by these people in going into the bush well prepared, and of not being afraid to ask for help when they needed it.

These examples highlight the importance of following the Outdoor Safety Code. Everyone using the outdoors should always follow the Outdoor Safety Guide.  Some key points include:
•       Plan your trip.
•       Tell someone where you are going and when you will return so they know when to raise the alarm.
•       Be aware of the weather.
•       Know your limits.
•       Take sufficient supplies.  (This includes food, clothing to cover all eventualities, and a means of communication.)