Chopper's daily run a success

As the summer holidays draw to a close the Auckland Rescue Helicopter Trust and SkyCity Auckland are
celebrating the success of the daily SkyCity Beach Patrol.

The daily service, which covered Bethells and Muriwai, has finished but continues as a weekend service until Easter. The initiative saw the helicopter take a regular return run from its base in Mechanics Bay, up the east coast to Omaha Beach and back down the west coast beaches.

Trust chief executive Bob Parkinson says the proactive service was in addition to the standard callout arrangement which saw the Westpac Rescue Helicopter respond to call-outs for emergency accident, medical or search and rescue purposes.

He says the daily patrol was a great addition to its community service.

"We have been able to provide reports on beach and traffic conditions, and on several patrols we have been tasked for emergency missions which has enabled us to provide an extremely fast response, thereby ensuring the best possible outcome."

- © Fairfax NZ News