Helicopter Rescue Service Considering Moving Due to Noise Complaints

Northland’s emergency rescue helicopter base in Whangārei is being forced to move after growing noise complaints from neighbors.

“It’s unbearable, a helicopter operation of this nature here in Kensington shouldn’t be operating in a residential area,” said former Top Energy CEO Roger de Bray, who lives just 100 meters from the Kensington helicopter base. .

Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said she was aware of the rise in noise complaints about the helicopter’s operation. As a result, it would move off-site.

“Helicopters are like a freight train that goes through the house sometimes several times a night,” de Bray said.

Northland Emergency Services Trust (NEST) responded to 1,115 calls last year, its busiest. This year there have been 300 flights to date.

“What are the future plans to deal with the increasing level of disturbance,” said former New Zealand Fire Service operations manager for Northland and area commander for Far North, Allan Kerrisk. He lives about 750 meters from the base.

The move will mean a possible rebuilding of a new $ 8 million location, for which Northlanders could be asked to pay, for what is the only rescue helicopter base north of Auckland.

There is a shortage of suitable sites and an increasingly vocal public is demanding that the facility of any new facility go through a publicly notified resource consent process where they can voice their opinion.

NEST has transported more than 21,000 patients since the operation began in 1988.

Whangārei District Council (WDC) executive director Rob Forlong said in a March 23 letter to de Bray that the base would change on July 31, 2023 or before the site’s lease expired.

Operators agree that noise annoys neighbors

NEST CEO Craig Gibbons admitted that the noise from the operation was disturbing neighbors. Trust did not want to do this.

“Enough is enough. We have outgrown our own base and stayed longer than welcomed by the locals,” Gibbons said.

WDC Denby District Councilor Trish Cutforth said it was time for the helicopter base to move.

“I think NEST needs to find a more appropriate location. It is beginning to outlive its social license for the site,” Cutforth said.

“People have given it a social license, but now a tipping point has been reached.”

That had happened in the last three months as the number of flights increased in recent years.

“I wonder if that’s due to the increasing workload of non-emergency work,” Cutforth said.

He said his constituents had increasingly complained about the increasing noise from helicopters.

The helicopter base is on the edge of the council’s Denby and Okara districts, each with some 13,000 people.

The trust operates three helicopters, worth more than $ 10 million, from its 33-year-old Western Hills / State Highway 1 base on leased land from St John and WDC. St John manages its ambulance service from the same site.

Forlong in his letter to De Bray confirmed that the base did not have a resource consent. It operated under the current WDC District Plan.

De Bray brought his helicopter concerns to an unscheduled WDC long-term plan meeting on March 23 at Whangārei Quarry Gardens, attended by the mayor and Cutforth.

Mai told the meeting that WDC had met with NEST earlier that day. Forlong said that later NEST would leave the site.

“As a result of that (NEST) meeting, I can confirm that NEST is looking to move its operation and intends to exit the site on or before the expiration of its lease on July 31, 2023,” Forlong said.

Gibbons said the base would be changed. “I want to be out of Kensington Park, hopefully before the end of the year.”

He said that NEST had acted responsibly with the base’s noise management through noise abatement procedures and the international Fly Neighborly program. It also met the CAA requirements, but there were always opportunities for improvement.

Gibbons was in Whangārei last week for a two-day investigation into how to further address the noise issues at the Kensington base.

Necessary provisional measures – resident

An interim enhanced noise mitigation management program was needed before NEST moved from Kensington, de Bray said.

Forlong said in his letter to de Bray that NEST would provide WDC with a document outlining the new noise mitigation actions “in a few days” following the council’s meeting with the trust.

Gibbons said the number of flights has increased significantly in the last three years in particular. The five-ton Sikorskys were a pretty noisy helicopter.

“… NEST has acknowledged the noise complaints they have received and will take steps to minimize noise to the extent possible. NEST will provide us with a document outlining their noise mitigation procedures in the coming days.” Forlong said.

The De Brays just spent $ 4000 on new soundproofing in their bedroom ceiling and new soundproof window pane.

Roger’s wife, Ruth de Bray, said the erratic arrivals and departures of the helicopters meant it was impossible to get used to the noise. His blood pressure had risen and he was now taking sleeping pills regularly as well. About 30 percent of NEST flights are at night.

The helicopter site has 35 people, including 16 pilots, 10 paramedics hired by St John, including winch operators, flight paramedics and rescue swimmers, and a five-person engineering team.

St John Northland District Operations Manager Tony Devanney said his organization supported NEST’s relocation plans.

“It will have no impact on our emergency response to ambulances and we will continue to provide the same level of patient care,” Devanney said.

Gibbons said NEST had no expectation that St John would also move its ambulance base from the site when the trust left.

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