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A helicopter pilot involved in the Whakaari / White Island rescue operation is honored by a petition calling for the charges against him to be dropped. But he wants the families of the victims to be the center of attention.
“It is humbling that people in the industry want to support us,” Volcanic Air Helicopters and Floatplanes director and chief pilot Tim Barrow said in a statement. “But the focus must be on families.”
Barrow, along with Kahu NZ CEO Mark Law, saved several lives after the volcano erupted a year ago.
The pilots are among 13 organizations and individuals facing WorkSafe charges.
READ MORE:
* The loss of a child inspires a woman to pay tribute to the mothers of all the victims of Whakaari / White Island
* Live: the Whakaari / White Island eruption is commemorated one year later
* Victims of the Whakaari / White Island eruption are remembered a year later
* Whakaari / White Island: support for petition calling for charges against rescue helicopter pilots to be dropped
The charges are related to the run-up to the eruption, not subsequent rescue and recovery operations. Post-rash actions may be subject to other procedures, such as coronary investigation.
On the first anniversary of the eruption, more than 111,000 people have signed a Change.org petition calling for the charges against the pilots to be dropped. The petition also calls on Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of Law and Barrow.
Since Saturday, the petition has grown by about 42,000 signatures.
Barrow noted that they had fully and openly cooperated with the WorkSafe investigation.
Dominico Zapata / Things
Tim Barrow, director and chief pilot of Volcanic Air Helicopters and Floatplanes, helped the victims fly to safety.
WorkSafe CEO Phil Parkes said last week that an investigation into the parties found that they failed to meet their obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2015 by bringing tourists to the island.
“As a nation, we must look at this tragedy and ask ourselves if we are really doing enough to ensure that our mothers, fathers, children and friends return home safe and sound at the end of each day.
“Now it is up to the judicial system to determine whether or not they did.”
The volcano erupted on December 9, 2019 at 2.11 p.m. Forty-seven people were on the island at the time, 22 of them died. Almost all of the survivors suffered serious or critical injuries.
A public event is being held in Whakatāne to commemorate the eruption and its victims. A minute’s silence will be observed the moment it exploded.
