2022 Floods
Family of five plucked from roof and winched to safety by LifeFlight crew
Family of five plucked from roof and winched to safety by LifeFlight crew
The Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission helicopter crew has rescued a family of five after they became trapped on the roof of their home, which was surrounded by flood waters just south of Ballina, this morning.
The aeromedical team spotted the family from the rescue helicopter; the crew assessed the situation and decided to winch the LifeFlight Flight Paramedic and a rescue basket down to the rooftop.
In a series of winch operations, two adults, a teenager and two younger children were placed into the basket, then hoisted up into the helicopter, before being flown to safety.
Although a bit shaken by their experience, the family members were in good spirits.
It’s just one of many missions the specialist helicopter crew was tasked to, by New South Wales State Emergency Service (NSW SES) today, as part of the ongoing flood emergency response.
Earlier in the day, the helicopter crew was called to assist a man, aged in his sixties, who had fallen over and fractured his ribs.
He was in a remote and difficult to access location, cut off by floods, so it was decided he would be transported by boat and meet the chopper crew, who had landed safely on a stretch of highway near Woodburn.
Volunteers helped transfer the man from the boat to the helicopter, by wheeling him up the road on an office chair.
He was assessed by the LifeFlight Flight Paramedic before he was flown to hospital for further treatment.
The helicopter is usually based in Queensland, but is currently operating out of Ballina, after it was tasked by NSW SES, to support their response to the flooding emergency.
Anticipating the requirement, NSW SES strategically prepositioned the chopper on Friday, ready for quick response.
Every detail of the Land Rover LifeFlight Special Mission helicopter is specifically designed for emergency response deployment.
The aircraft is part of LifeFlight Australia’s commercial operation, which supports the work of the community helicopter fleet, through our profit-for-purpose model.
In the 2021 Calendar Year, RACQ LifeFlight Rescue’s community helicopters, Air Ambulance jets, Critical Care Doctors, Flight Nurses and Flight Paramedics came to the aid of 6,846 people.
