Northland Rescue Helicopter Base to move after noise disturbs neighbors

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 Roger de Bray, a former Top Energy chief executive who now lives 100 meters from the Kensington helicopter base.

Whangārei Mayor Sheryl Mai said she was aware of the increase in noise complaints about the operation of the helicopter, which would move off-site as a result.

“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 unrest?” Allan Kerrisk, former New Zealand Fire Service operations manager for Northland and area commander for the Far North, and a Kensington resident who lives in about 750 meters from the base, said.

The move will mean a rebuild of the new location of up to $ 8 million, for which Northlanders could be asked to pay, for the only rescue helicopter base north of Auckland, amid a shortage of suitable sites. and an increasingly noisy public demanding the installation of any The new installation goes through a publicly notified resource consent process in which 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 be changed before the site’s lease expired on July 31, 2023.

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.

Trish Cutforth, WDC Denby District Councilor, 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,” Cutforth said.

That had been in the last three months when the construction of flight numbers in the last few years had suddenly increased.

“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 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 and short-notice meeting of the WDC’s long-term plan 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,” Gibbons said.

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 was always a chance to improve.

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

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 on their bedroom ceiling and waiting for new soundproof window glass.

Roger’s wife, Ruth de Bray, said the irregularity of helicopters arriving and departing 24/7 meant it was impossible to get used to the noise. Her blood pressure had risen and she was also taking sleeping pills regularly to get some sleep at night after the noise and vibration woke her up when helicopters flew overhead. 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.

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

“We are aware of NEST’s plan to relocate and we support it. It will have no impact on our emergency ambulance response 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 the site.

Kerrisk said NEST needed to better communicate with its neighbors.

Kerrisk and De Brays support the NEST emergency rescue helicopter service, but not their current base.