Helicopter Rescues in Tasmania "2"

[Lostsoul]

A major advantage of the BK117 is its ability to get into tight locations due to its fairly small rotor disk. Something that a Agusta may struggle with due to its larger main rotor. And yes, the Agusta has very low ground clearance, which will greatly restrict its ability to land during remote area rescues.

The photo below was taken on Deal Island during the rescue of a Victorian bushwalker while my wife and I were caretakers. The chopper came from Melbourne without getting clearance from Tasmanian Search and Rescue with the crew saying as soon as they landed, and I quote, "we have wanted to come here for ages" (and they did a circuit of the island when they left...).

P1020736.JPG

But, the Agusta will be a faster machine with longer range, which is probably more of an advantage on the Mainland with its bigger distances.

That thing will be useless in Tassie mountain rescues.Hows it going to land in snow or buttongrass?

[Overlandman]

One from yesterday
Tasmanian Police Facebook page

At 12:05pm Sunday 24 March 2024, Police were advised of a missing walker in the Luina area. Police were advised that a man in his 50s had deviated from a track to explore and had been unable to find his way back to the track at 6:50pm 23 March 2024. Police were advised that the mn was not prepare for an overnight stay.

The man was not in possession of a personal locator beacon. Police Search and Rescue made limited contact with him and were able to obtain coordinates of his location.

The Rescue Helicopter was deployed to assist with the search but was grounded due to inclement weather in the area. Members from Tasmania Police and Ambulance Tasmania attended the area and proceeded to the man;s location on foot.

The man was located at 10:45pm by Police members. Due to inclement weather in the area, the rescue helicopter was unable to attend and the man and the search team camped at the location.

At first light 25 March 2024, the rescue helicopter was able to attend the area and safely remove the man from this location.

Police would like to remind walkers to let someone know where you are walking, consider the weather conditions, plan for unexpected events, take adequate food and water and wear appropriate clothing. Also give consideration to purchasing and carrying a personal locator beacon.

[Overlandman]

Update

Helicopter flew injured person out on Sunday morning


From Tasmania Police Facebook page

***Update@3.55pm***

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania crew is on the ground at Tahune Hut as they continue to respond to an EPIRB activation on Frenchmans Cap in the state’s south-west.

It is understood that one member of a bushwalking party has injured their shoulder on the way to the summit.

A paramedic has been dispatched to the injured walker, who will be assessed to determine if they can walk out.

———-

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania is responding to an EPIRB activation at Frenchmans Cap.

The weather on the West Coast is making it difficult for helicopter to reach the location.

More details will be provided when available.

[Overlandman]

From Helicopter Resources Facebook page.

CareFlight have teamed up with Tasmania-based Helicopter Resources (HeliRes) in a bid to transform emergency helicopter services for Tasmania.

The Tasmanian Government has approached the market to upgrade and enhance the emergency helicopter services across the state. This new and substantially improved helicopter capability will support Ambulance Tasmania, Tasmania Police and land and maritime based Search and Rescue services across the State.

CareFlight’s strategic partnership with Helicopter Resources in the bid brings national experience and local expertise together for the benefit of residents and visitors across Tasmania. The partnership presents a world-class solution that delivers innovation and industry best practice while enhancing safety and improved availability.

You can read more about The CareFlight Team's proposed commitment to providing top of the line care to Tasmanians below:

[tastrax]

https://careflight.org/our-stories/team ... resources/

[Overlandman]

From Tas Police Facebook page

Police, with the assistance of Ambulance Tasmania and the State Emergency Service Search and Rescue Team (Northwest) are searching for a missing walker at Frenchmans Cap.

The 28 year old man from Hobart was last seen at 07:30am on Wednesday 28 May starting the final mountain ascent.

He told other walkers that he intended to walk to the summit and return to Lake Vera that day.

He did not return to his camping site, and the walkers reported their concerns to police on 31 May.

Last night a search and rescue team walked into the area, and is this morning walking up the mountain. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter will assist in the search.

Acting Sergeant Stephen Barrow said “We are very concerned for the safety of the missing walker, and are hoping that he is quickly found. I pass on my thanks to the walkers who reported this to Police and assisted with valuable information.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 131 444.

[north-north-west]

Wouldn''t have been pleasant walking in last night if the wind was anywhere near as bad as it was here - and I assume it was similar, because otherwise the chopper would have been on the job.

[Overlandman]

ABC story

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-06-01/ ... /103922998

I did notice the Air Ambulance Bell 412 heading that way, they use that for lifting with the external winch, but it turned back to Hobart

[Overlandman]

Updates coming in

Thoughts are with the rescue team, family and friends

Sadly
From the Advocate

A body believed to be that of a missing walker has been discovered at Frenchmans Cap in the state's West.
Searchers from Ambulance Tasmania and the State Emergency Service Search and Rescue Team located the body of a deceased man off the summit track this afternoon.
It appears the 28-year-old from Hobart had fallen and died as a result of his injuries.

[Lostsoul]

From Tas Police Facebook page

Police, with the assistance of Ambulance Tasmania and the State Emergency Service Search and Rescue Team (Northwest) are searching for a missing walker at Frenchmans Cap.

The 28 year old man from Hobart was last seen at 07:30am on Wednesday 28 May starting the final mountain ascent.

He told other walkers that he intended to walk to the summit and return to Lake Vera that day.

He did not return to his camping site, and the walkers reported their concerns to police on 31 May.

Last night a search and rescue team walked into the area, and is this morning walking up the mountain. The Westpac Rescue Helicopter will assist in the search.

Acting Sergeant Stephen Barrow said “We are very concerned for the safety of the missing walker, and are hoping that he is quickly found. I pass on my thanks to the walkers who reported this to Police and assisted with valuable information.”

Anyone with information is asked to contact police on 131 444.

I find it mind boggling that the walkers waited 2 days to report the guy missing,knowing he hadn’t returned to his camp that night.Would have thought a plb should have been used to raise the alarm earlier.In this case it probably wouldn’t have helped the poor guy but still,geez!

[creeping_moses]

I find it mind boggling that the walkers waited 2 days to report the guy missing, knowing he hadn’t returned to his camp that night.

Agree
Albeit I can conceive situations where one would not know what was happening to others out there. It sounds like this fellow was walking from Lake Vera hut to the FC summit return in a long day on the 28th.
Any other people at Vera that morning/night prior who he informed of his intentions may have been walking out on the 28th. The alarm may be delayed due to people not realising he was due back to his tent at an otherwise empty - winter and mid-week - Vera hut or a Vera hut occupied only by incoming walkers who he hadn't met and who didn't realise his tent was there and empty. People he may have passed between Vera and Tahune, or even Tahune and the summit, if any, also may not have had the required second piece of data (i.e. not seeing him pass back through Tahune Hut later in the day) to have concerns. The alarm may have only been raised on review of the trail head log book by a walker who saw the empty tent and/or had heard chat from other parties.

Last edited by creeping_moses on Sun 02 Jun, 2024 8:33 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Tazz81]

Don’t blame the walkers who set off the alarm after 2 days. He took the risk of climbing Frenchmans solo in winter - that quartz is lethal with a bit of ice. The new iPhones have a man down function connected to satellite so maybe that would of helped.

[north-north-west]

Frenchmans solo in winter is fine if you know what you're doing. It's a big ask to do it at that time as a daywalk from Vera, however.
There aren't that many places you can fall from on the summit track, and anyone going in after him would have seen the body if he'd been near it, so I'm guessing he was offline when he fell. May not have mattered when the alarm was raised.

[stu]

I read it as he was going to summit & 'return' to Vera, ie. he was camped at Tahune, summit, pack up & back to Vera that night. I wonder where he fell, & if any other walkers in the area summited in the intervening days...there's not many places to fall & be obscured

[north-north-west]

...there's not many places to fall & be obscured

That's the thing. There's only one bit of the summit track that poses a problem, even in winter, and if you slip there you're going to be seen by the next person through. If he fell on the Wednesday or Thursday, weather would not have been an issue - I could see it from where I was walking and the thing was brightly sunlit.

[phATty]

Where abouts can you fall? I don't recall any places on Frenchmans where you could but it has been awhile...
Is it possible they were going the wrong way?

[north-north-west]

Where abouts can you fall? I don't recall any places on Frenchmans where you could but it has been awhile...
Is it possible they were going the wrong way?

There's one minor scramble up a steep bit of rock. Some people have trouble with it and it can be particularly awkward with ice or in the wet. But it's short and you'd have to be unlucky to cop a major injury even if you slipped at the top.
Pretty sure someone's posted an image of it here (maybe Tortoise?) but it would take some diggiing to find.

[Son of a Beach]

There’s a sign pointing left to Tahune, right to Irenabyss and UP to summit.

PS. Found it: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12414&p=164368&hilit=Frenchmans+cap#p164368

[eggs]

There are a couple other places possible.
The sloping rock slab under an overhang can be tricky - I thought worse than the rock face.
You don't have to fall far some times.
But he may have gone slightly off track to the huge crevice on the eastern edge - near where people have gone base jumping.
Would be interesting to find out where.

[north-north-west]

There’s a sign pointing left to Tahune, right to Irenabyss and UP to summit.

PS. Found it: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=12414&p=164368&hilit=Frenchmans+cap#p164368

That's it. A Few shots of the section in question on that thread. Well done.

[tastrax]

Sky news are as accurate as ever!

[headwerkn]

Sky news are as accurate as ever!

Murdoch press... facts and reality... yeah.... :-/

On the plus side, some conservative boomers in Zeehan are probably feeling very "seen" right now

[Overlandman]

Not sure if the helicopter will be involved due to weather but a rescue is being organised.

Police and emergency services are responding to a personal locator beacon activation in the Walls of Jerusalem National Park.

The beacon is being used by a party of three, comprising two adults and one child.

Contact has been made with the group and while conditions aren’t suitable for the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to fly, ground search parties are being organised.

Further updates will be provided as they become available.



***Update @6am***

The missing walkers that were reported overdue in the Walls of Jerusalem area have been successfully located overnight.

Eight members attached to Police Search and Rescue, Tasmania SES and Ambulance Tasmania paramedics walked into the area and located them. They were cold but well.

Due to the inclement weather conditions they have stayed with the walkers over night providing them with food and provisions to keep warm.

Attempts will be made to retrieve them by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania this morning depending on the weather.

------

Great outcome so far

[Overlandman]

Update

An operation to retrieve three stranded bushwalkers from the Walls of Jerusalem National Park in Tasmania’s Central Highlands is ongoing.

The group, including two adults and a child, activated a personal locator beacon (PLB) shortly before 4:30pm on Sunday.

Authorities were notified that the trio had become lost in snow near Cathedral Mountain, and the child was believed to be suffering from hypothermia.

The inclement weather conditions meant the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Tasmania was not able to fly, and a ground crew was organised instead.

A group of eight police, SES and Ambulance Tasmania personnel walked into the area last night, reaching the bushwalkers about half past two this morning.

Thankfully with the provision of food and warmth, the child’s condition improved overnight.

Challenging weather conditions meant the helicopter was still not able to fly into the area today, and walking out was not advisable given the challenges posed by the weather.

More provisions are being delivered to the group this evening, with further trained search and rescue personnel walking in.

The situation will be reassessed tomorrow.

[headwerkn]

The family have now been extracted thankfully. Amazing effort by SAR, TasPol, Ambulance Tas and everyone else involved.

As an aside, does anyone know the registrations for the new CareFlight units? POL71/72 are still active it seems, POL73/74 have gone elsewhere now AFAIK.

[Overlandman]

From ABC

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-07-16/ ... /104102006

Family rescued from Tasmania's Walls Of Jerusalem National Park after child develops hypothermia

VH-RSQ is Polair 71
VH-EMS is Polair 72
VH-ATZ is used for Training / Fire

[matagi]

Seems a bit ambitious doing a day walk to Twin Spires at this time of year.

[lefroy]

With a 9 year old in tow it's a pretty ambitious day walk at any time of the year.

[north-north-west]

Given the weather on Sunday, "ambitious" is a mild term.

[matagi]

Given the weather on Sunday, "ambitious" is a mild term.

I was trying to be diplomatic.