Whanganui Land Search & Rescue

HAPPY NATIONAL VOLUNTEER WEEK

He aha te mea nui tea o? He tangata he tangata, he tangata!

What is the most important thing in the world? It is people, it is people, it is people.

Whanganui Search & Rescue wouldn't exist without amazing people volunteering many hours to train, support, and go out to look for, rescue, and assist the lost, missing, and injured in our community.

Thank you for all your time, dedication, and sacrifices to serve - where would the world be without volunteers?

Behind every successful Search and Rescue Exercise or Operation is an Incident Management Team (IMT). Based out of the new Emergency Management Facility in National Park, teams from multiple agencies responded to the eruption scenario and tasked Land Search & Rescue teams out into the field.

An IMT makes decisions on what resources are needed where, how to get them there, what field teams do when they're out in the search area, how to get them out, and manage all communications. It's often a hectic place - with lots of people and quick, but calculated decisions to be made.

This year's SAREX IMT had the pleasure of hanging out in the new community-funded building, got stunning views of the aurora australis and time cuddling puppies! Plus, a bonus walk onto the maunga to retrieve the radio repeater.


photo credits: Conrad Smith, Lauren Flutey, Peter Zimmer, Matt Ellingham

Whanganui Ruapehu SAREX (Search & Rescue Exercise) was held on Ruapehu maunga over the weekend. The scenario involved a volcanic eruption resulting in searching for, treating, and extracting five injured patients. Once those jobs were resolved, the scenario morphed into a search and tracking exercise for a tramper who got lost when self-evacuting from the eruption. Field teams camped out overnight (brrr) and successfully tracked and located the missing tramper and her companion on Sunday morning before all returning to base in National Park.

Yes, if our packs look heavy - they were! One of those stretchers weighs 12kg, plus we had communication gear, and patient care kits, on top of all our own personal gear to spend a night camping out on the side of the maunga.

It was great to work alongside our other Land Search & Rescue groups - Ruapehu, Taihape, and RARO (Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation) as well as New Zealand Police, Department of Conservation, Hato Hone St John, GNS Science, Ruapehu District Council Emergency Management.

An extra shout out goes to RARO, who had to duck away from the training to attend a real-life emergency in the Park.

Thanks to all our volunteers - especially our mothers and their families who gave up time with their loved ones on Mother's Day for us to be the best we can be to assist the lost, missing, and injured.


Photo credits: Phil Brown, Tim Harrex, Elly Arnst, Shayne Wainhouse, Craig Peters

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLl_leng68w

Land Search and Rescue New Zealand Everywhere For Everyone

We don’t just volunteer for Search & Rescue, we get involved in other projects too!

Over the past four days, a group of seven from Whanganui Search & Rescue (on behalf of the Backcountry Trust) put their helicopter training and team skills into tackling an ever increasing list of jobs to turn Iron Bark hut aka the “rat hotel” back into a backcountry hut.

Wow did it need some love! New roof, new weatherboards, a couple of new piles, baseboards, corners, window flashings, full exterior paint of hut and toilet, patching the toilet, installing a woodshed, removal of rats nests, baiting, cutting firewood, and general site tidy up.

Best of all we had a lot of fun and contributed to keeping a hut open that is critical to the Ruahine pest control program, which maintains traplines to protect both kiwi and whio in the area.

Hopefully it’ll stand for a few more years yet. Enjoy 💜🛖

We had lots of teams out up and down the coast this week in a range of weather conditions. 🌊💨🌧️☀️⛅️

Land Search & Rescue - everywhere for everyone, not just in the backcountry!

The question our group members get asked mostly frequently is “are you all volunteers?”

The answer is “yes”!!

This week alone, we have collectively volunteered over 200 of hours of our time to assist the lost, missing and injured - dropping work, family and personal lives (sometimes at very short notice).

Behind us sits a whole host of employers, employees, family members and friends who make it possible to do what we do.

To witness the moment a family receives the news their loved one has been found makes it all worth it.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/ill-prepared-climbers-on-mt-ruapehu-a-headache-for-search-and-rescue-teams/EI4SK4FZOJEFTAXIIX6HXAHI3M/

Mt Ruapehu a trap for ill-prepared climbers “There’s a lot more risk on Ruapehu," says search and rescue officer.

Off to a busy start this year for the Land Search & Rescue Whanganui crew. Training is really starting to ramp up now. A team of us attended a NH90 winch training day with the Royal New Zealand Air Force, alongside groups from the lower North Island. A fantastic day was had by all and we came home covered in sand and a lot more confident about being winched when the need arises (and it likely will do).

3 Squadron are always a pleasure to work with and often play a vital role in assisting field teams help the lost, missing and injured across NZ.

https://www.nzherald.co.nz/whanganui-chronicle/news/tongariro-alpine-crossings-busiest-day-approaches-experts-warn-trampers-to-be-prepared/TKBT42AWYVE37ND4WI2BXPBGWE/

Experts warn trampers to be prepared on Tongariro Alpine Crossing 'It’s things like walking the track in jandals.'

Successful day out for our group yesterday. One of the best things about being in LandSAR is the people, the team work, and the camaraderie. Proud to be assisting the lost, missing, and injured in our backyard.

Hey Taranaki! It’s been a while!!

Today our crew responded to a hunter who had been injured near Whanganui. We managed to sneak in and out around the weather and after being treated by our Critical Care Paramedic we were able to get the gentleman to hospital.

This mission was achieved with our Taranaki Offshore Partnership sponsored winch, but also a massive thank you to those volunteers from LandSAR Whanganui and Taranaki Land Search And Rescue Inc for being on the ground with us!

Stay safe out there people and always remember to carry your PLB if you’re out and about off the beaten track!

LandSAR (Search and Rescue) have opportunities for volunteers

Land Search and Rescue (LandSAR) Whanganui needs more volunteers, and this applies to both those wanting to do field work and those willing to help out in the background doing vital administration/governance work.

Elly is chair of the local group and says, “While the field work sounds glamourous – possibly travelling in a jet boat or a helicopter – those doing administration carry out very important roles as well.”

The process goes as follows: When the police are advised of a missing person, they do their background checks and if required will call in the LandSAR administration volunteers. Field team volunteers are contacted to be on standby for a potential search and are given a time – for example in one to 3 hours’ time.

To be a field volunteer you need to have some back country experience and have some of your own equipment. But as Elly points out it is also important to have a positive attitude and be a good team member. All volunteers must be police vetted.
Searches usually take 48 hours and if longer, the volunteers will be told and if necessary be supplied with extra food and water. Elly adds “Our last multi-day search was three days in the Ruahines. The search was successful but that is not always the case. We do provide well-being support.”

Most years there would be about six searches and it is not expected that you will be able to be involved in all of them. There are monthly evening training sessions as well as nationally run courses.

LandSAR also runs prevention activities such as being there on the Taranaki Open Climb Assisted Summit as well as the Easter Tongariro Alpine Crossing Sweep.
If you are interested in getting involved, there is a recruitment night on Tuesday 9 May at 7pm at the Josephite Centre off Hillside Road, St Johns Hill. There will be a presentation and an answering of your questions.

For more information or if you can’t make this evening, contact Haydon Meade at [email protected].

Another successful year on the Tongariro Alpine Crossing Easter sweep. LandSAR Whanganui members worked alongside other LandSAR groups from the central north island to ensure everyone got home safely.

From Craig Peters:

The Whanganui Landsar group were this year tasked with walking the track on Sunday afternoon with the plan to be at Red Crater late in the day and then return to our vehicles. From there we had radio contact and had it been clear visual contact with the Turangi Landsar group who had come up from the Ketetahi side.
We left the car park at 2 pm carrying overnight packs in the event that we may have to spend the night on the trail. We met some trampers who were coming from the north side. The weather was overcast but warm for the first hour but as we gained altitude it cooled down and we stopped to put on warmer clothing. By the time we were at the southern crater cloud had come down to meet us and visibility was as little as 20 metres at times.

As we made our way to the high point on the red crater ridge the wind was gusting and cold. We crested the ridge at 5 pm and tuck in below an embankment for a much earned cup of tea. At this stage the Taranaki rescue helicopter was in the process of evacuating a tramper who had dislocated her knee just below where we sat but unseen by us because of the cloud cover.

We were able to confirm by radio that there were no trampers in need of assistance on the Southside of Tongariro and the last two trampers heading north passed our position at 5.30 pm and were well prepared with warm clothes and torches.

We made our way down to the car park arriving there at 7.30 pm having done the last hour under torchlight and light rain.

Part of LandSAR's role involves prevention. LandSAR Whanganui members were recently involved in the Taranaki Open Climb - an initiative to assist members of the public to safely summit Mt Taranaki.

From our crew who were involved in this year's climb: "In all 70 members of the public contracted the Alpine Club to guide them to the summit, and there were almost as many volunteers. The first people reached the summit around 11:30am. Heavy cloud surrounded the mountain and a cold wind blew on the top, so the views were pretty ordinary. Everyone was back to the lodge by 3pm and we assisted a handful of people through the day."

📷Craig Peters LandSAR Whanganui

https://i.stuff.co.nz/national/300648237/climbers-dig-themselves-out-of-avalanche-before-spending-night-in-snow-cave

Climbers dig themselves out of avalanche before spending night in snow cave "Bloody awful" blizzard conditions meant it took rescuers three attempts to reach the men, who survived on 15 muesli bars between them.