Tasmania’s Westpac Rescue helicopter service are showing their aerial skills on air

The heroes of Tasmania’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service have showcased their skills on a TV series

Tasmania Police Senior Crew Instructor Senior Constable Josh Peach with the Westpac rescue helicopter at Hobart. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

THE thought of working behind a desk terrifies Josh Peach, but tackling risky rescues from the sky has become second nature.

The Tasmania Police senior constable has worked with the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service for about nine years.

The service has two helicopters based in Hobart, which cover the entire state including all 52 islands of the Furneaux Group, off the northeastern tip of Tasmania.

The skilled crew is called out to everything from maritime emergencies to car crashes, often in extreme weather.

MORE NEWS:

SPATE OF SNAKE BITES PROMPTS WARNINGS

WARNINGS ISSUED AS GELL RIVER FIRE CONTINUES

TAXPAYERS FOOT BILL FOR ATO LOST PHONES

Sen-Constable Peach said requests for assistance continued to increase “exponentially”, with the aircraft now flying about 800 hours a year, compared to 350 hours in 2010.

“You wouldn’t do this if you didn’t love it, because while it is a dream job, it’s also very full-on and the phone rings 24-hours a day, seven days a week,” he said.

“People don’t come to Tasmania for the skyscrapers, they come for the scenery and that puts them in more danger.”

Sen-Constable Peach said Westpac Rescue Helicopter pilots and crew members needed to have “all the ticks in all the boxes” when it came to training for missions. “At this time of year, we rescue lots of bushwalkers and mountain bikers. They can range from sprained ankles and broken legs to more serious medical emergencies,” he said.

“Some rescues are very straight forward and some are very complicated, but both are very rewarding.”

A family hike in the Eastern Arthur Range remains one of Sen-Constable Peach’s most memorable rescues.

Experienced bushwalker Ed Bastick, of Rosevears, was on a trek to the summit of Federation Peak with his wife, brother and his brother’s girlfriend in November 2016 when disaster struck.

“I climbed down into a section of rock and I looked for a solid foothold but the rock I was hanging on to broke away and I fell,” Mr Bastick said.

“I closed my eyes because I thought I was going to die. I hit a rocky ledge, broke my leg and continued to fall about eight to 10 metres. Where I landed was the only place I could’ve landed and lived. It was a complete fluke.”

Mr Bastick activated an emergency radio beacon and waited for help to arrive.

“The helicopter couldn’t get in close enough to winch me from where I was sitting, so they lowered Josh and paramedic Dave Brown down and they scrambled across to where I was,” he said.

“There was no margin for error and no second chances. They got me out of a really sticky situation.”

Sen-Constable Peach said the biggest issue crews faced in Tasmania was poor weather.

“While it might be bright and sunny in Hobart today, as soon as you go to the South-West the weather can be completely different,” he said.

“Federation Peak is an awesome place but it’s also very intimidating.

“We tried to remind the patient [Mr Bastick] to remain calm but truthfully, we were all pretty nervous that day.”

The Tasmanian Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service attended eight rescues across the state during the filming of Channel 7’s fifth season of Air Rescue. The episodes are being aired again this summer on Sunday nights.

[e-mail]