Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation

On Saturday 18th February, RARO team members were involved in three rescues from the Tongariro National Park including one life threatening cardiac patient. All three patients have made good recoveries and they are great examples of the good work we do in conjunction with the Youthtown Rescue Helicopter and St Johns Taupo paramedics. Below are some details from the guys involved:

Blake McDavitt – DOC wrote:
The initial call was for a patient on Nguaruhoe with a dislocated shoulder and broken collarbone, as we were getting set up a call came through for the 69 year old man in South Crater with chest pain.
The last call to come through was for a woman on the top of Nguaruhoe with an injured knee.

Tony More – St Johns Paramedic wrote:

Quick summary, First we were responding to shoulder injury on Ngauruhoe in the cloud, then told about a chest pain at red crater, landed near pt, GCS 15, 10/10 heavy central chest pain. no history, did vitals and given aspirin, then arrested. CPR and shocked x 3 in total, adrenaline x 2 and amiodarone, got pulse back, GCS 14 and talking to Darryl, put on stretcher and loaded into chopper, re-arrested, CPR down to Mangatopopo carpark, shocked x 3 and adrenaline x 3, got pulses back but very combative, given midazalam so he was calm to fly, pt breathing on his own all the way to ED, ED confirmed pt had had a big MI, within 30 mins he was sitting up with a GCS of 15 and remembered me talking to him on the mtn before he arrested. AMAZING…Transferred to Waikato.

Brilliant job, thanks guys, see you at the next one

Tony More

On the morning of Wednesday 30th November the Youth Town Rescue Helicopter was alerted to an incident where a young gentleman had fallen while descending the northern slopes of Mt Ngauruhoe.
Two RARO team members were required to assist the helicopter crew with the locating and the packaging of the patient. While en route from Whakapapa Village to Mt Ngauruhoe another call was received relating to a subsequent second gentleman who had sustained a head injury from a fall in a location about two thirds of the way up Mt Ngauruhoe.

Five RARO team members were put on standby to add support in event of changes in conditions and weather.
The crew of the Youth Town Rescue Helicopter located a gentleman with head lacerations and in a conscious but confused state. The two RARO members were dropped off by the helicopter and left with the task of packaging the first of the two injured men. The first of the two men were air lifted out while the RARO team walked down the mountain to locate the second person with the suspected leg injury.

The operation was completed by mid afternoon with the result of two men being flown to Rotorua hospital, one with head injuries and the other with a suspected broken fibula.