Its youngest passenger in the past year was a premature baby, its oldest, an 87-year-old man injured in a crash - the essential help the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust gives to people like these has been boosted by a good financial year.
The trust presented its annual report for the year to March 31 to the Otago Regional Council, its major donor, at a committee meeting in Dunedin yesterday.
Chairman Ross Black said it had been a very successful year despite the trust facing a $124,000 deficit in the first three months, due to reduced activity.
Things turned around, with the rescue helicopter flying 612 hours on emergency missions throughout the lower South Island, 6.5% above total hours flown in 2008.
The increased mission hours, combined with donations and interest, resulted in a surplus of $237,000, which was used to fund a new safety radar for the rescue helicopter and a new intensive care life-support system, he said.
Increased safety training was also being planned for emergency volunteers throughout the region.
The rescue helicopter took 369 patients to Dunedin Hospital, Mr Black said.
Of the emergency mission hours flown, the majority (44%) were for ACC accidents, 23% for medical emergencies, 23% intensive care hospital transfers, and search and rescue 10%.
Search and rescue missions had increased "significantly" from 46 hours in 2008 to 62 hours in 2009.
The trust was proud it had managed to keep its administration costs to below 3% so that 97% of every dollar given to the trust went towards flying the helicopter, equipment, training and the crew, he said.
The council's $250,000 annual donation was invaluable to the trust, he said.
The trust also received $114,395 from various clubs, organisations and private individuals.
Trust chief pilot Graeme Gale said the upgrade of the safety radar meant the team could respond to emergencies more quickly and could fly in conditions when previously it would have been too dangerous: ". . . this enhances the safety 10-fold when doing an approach in really murky [conditions]," Mr Gale said.
Council chairman Stephen Cairns said being able to keep the trust's costs so low was impressive, as was the work the trust did.
"We think you are all . . . awesome," he said.
