News
November 16, 2016
Summer is coming and for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter team, that means work.
Muriwai resident Russell Clarke has been an intensive care paramedic for the Auckland Westpac Rescue Helicopter for the last six years and will spend his Christmas either at the Mechanics Bay or Whitianga bases.
Last year November 25 was one of the team's busiest days with a total of eight rescue missions.
Clarke attended five of them.
Clarke has been away from home for the past two years during Christmas and says though it is difficult to leave his wife and two children, they do have a lunch down at the base and families can come if they are not out on a mission.
"If we complete any missions we try to make them as special as we can. It's hard when things go wrong for people on such a special day," says Clarke.
He says it takes years of experience to work in such a role and his background in the Royal New Zealand Air Force as a flight medic has been the biggest help.
He spent 20 years deploying to war zones including Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as natural and man-made disasters such as the Boxing Day Tsunami and the Bali bombings.
This experience has helped Clarke in his current role as he is often exposed to complex medical situations and must be able to act quickly and efficiently.
One of the most challenging missions he says he has been to was during a weather bomb storm.
He found himself 160km off the coast of Raglan rescuing a sailor off his boat in 40-50ft seas in gale force wind.
As like every other mission, Clarke and his team had to get the patient into the helicopter before being able to treat the patient which he says is always a challenge.
"I suppose that is what keeps it exciting as you never know where and what you will end up doing. There is not such thing as an average day at work for me which I love," says Clarke.
Clarke says his job is not always nice, but says he was exposed to it for a reason and enjoys giving back to the New Zealand public.
Having a great support network both at home and at work also helps.
His wife is an ex-flight medic so she understands the tough aspects Clarke deals with daily.
Clarke also says his tight group at work make sure they discuss rescue missions with one another once they are completed in order to help anyone who may be struggling.
