Latest news with #RickKnight
Scoop
24-07-2025
- Health
- Scoop
Rescue Crew Chief Issues Lifesaving Challenge
The crew chief of the Westpac rescue helicopter service is urging the community to help them get back to base this August, as demand for the lifesaving service continues to grow. 'Every time we take off could be the difference between life and death. This is vital work, but we can't do it alone,' says Crew Chief Rick Knight. The Canterbury Westpac and ROA Mining Rescue Helicopters have already completed over 520 missions this year across the Canterbury West Coast region and demand continues to increase. 'Whether it's a medical emergency in one of our rural communities, an accident in remote terrain, or an urgent response to a personal locator beacon activation, we all rely on the rescue helicopters to be there - and we are. 'But to continue to provide this world-class service we need our community's support. We need the community to take up this challenge and help us get Back to Base,' says Knight. Back to Base is a virtual event in which people are encouraged to challenge themselves to cover the distance equivalent to a real rescue helicopter mission. The Back to Base distances range from 9 km, the distance from Christchurch Hospital back to base, up to 155 km, the distance from Timaru to base. Alternatively, participants can set their own target. Last year, $45,000 was raised through Back to Base with participants finding unique ways to complete the challenge. A team of ocean swimmers swam 500 km, a mum and her two children walked and ran 349 km, while an 80-year-old man walked 9 km. 'It's simple. Choose your distance, get a few sponsors on board and get moving. It doesn't matter if you walk, run, swim, ski, or hit the treadmill – however you move you will be supporting the lifesaving work of the rescue helicopter crew,' Knight says. There are 39 crew who work across the Canterbury and West Coast rescue helicopter service, operated by GCH Aviation. For all of them physical fitness, and the mental strength that comes from that, is vital for their job. 'Crew roles demand a high level of fitness every day – whether we're swimming through rough seas during a marine rescue or trekking rugged terrain to reach an injured tramper. Even helicopter winch operations require strength and precision. It's an intense and highly specialised job. 'The Back to Base challenge reflects the grit and commitment required in air rescue, and it's a powerful way everyday Kiwis can support our mission,' Knight says. Funds raised through the Back to Base Challenge will go towards the Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust's MISSION 2026. MISSION 2026 is the biggest transformation the rescue helicopter service has seen in its 40-year history. The fleet is being upgraded with three H145 helicopters, along with a significant investment in new equipment, technology and advanced crew training. The biggest game-changer is the roll-out of Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) across the fleet. IFR enables the helicopters to fly in more adverse weather conditions – an investment which means the rescue helicopters will be able to respond to an estimated 20% more missions. The Trust needs to raise $1.4 million towards MISSION 2026. Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust CEO Christine Prince says they need the community's support to get there. 'Please join our Back to Base challenge starting 1 August. Put simply, we need your help to save lives; every dollar contributes towards this. 'With challenge distances from 9 km, anyone can join the Back to Base challenge and be part of our life-saving MISSION 2026,' Prince says. Back to Base distance options are: • 9 km – Christchurch Hospital Helipad and Back to Base • 49 km – Akaroa to Christchurch Hospital and Back to Base • 97 km – Mt Hutt to Christchurch Hospital and Back to Base • 155 km – Timaru Hospital to Christchurch Hospital and Back to Base Back to Base Challenge participants who fundraise more than $100 will receive a Westpac or ROA Mining Rescue Helicopter pin, with a medal provided to those participants who raise more than $250. The highest fundraiser will receive a city flight for two, gifted by GCH Aviation, with other spot prizes up for grabs. Anyone can sign up for the Back to Base Challenge at The Canterbury West Coast Air Rescue Trust has funded the life-saving Rescue Helicopters in Canterbury and the West Coast since 1989. Working alongside service provider GCH Aviation, the Trust is tasked with raising $6 million each year to support the operation of the service, which is not fully government funded. The Trust's funding also supports the provision of life-saving equipment and additional crew training, all of which improves patient care and outcomes.
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
VA report: No environmental review needed for new Bakersfield clinic
An environmental impact report for a long-awaited veterans clinic in Bakersfield may not be needed following a finding from the Department of Veterans Affairs. "VA concludes that implementing the Proposed Action would not have a significant adverse impact on the quality of the natural or human environment, the report said. "Therefore, preparation of an environmental impact statement is not required." The proposed action is the construction of a new VA outpatient clinic in Bakersfield, one that's been planned — and held up in court — for years. Congress approved the clinic in 2009 but construction on the new facility has been frustrated by a series of legal filings by a group called Progress for Bakersfield Veterans, LLC, or PBV. Since 2018, PBV has filed a series of complaints alleging violations of the California Environmental Quality Act and other regulations. PBV is a subsidiary of Beverly Hills-based Cardinal Equities Group, which owns the building housing the existing clinic on Westwind Drive. Critics have accused PBV of filing frivolous lawsuits in order to prolong the current clinic's tenure at its aging building. Because the terms of the lease are expired, PBV can raise the rent on the building every six months. The Californian reported last year the VA was paying more than $400,000 a month to lease the current clinic location. "We are paying millions of dollars to somebody that doesn't even care for the rental of the current clinic. We are dumping tons of money, monthly," said Rick Knight, a 77-year-old U.S. Marine Corps veteran who uses the clinic. Knight said he'd heard supposedly good news about the clinic before, only to see PBV file a lawsuit to stop progress. "I am a pro-VA advocate to get us a clinic built and get away from this snake that is out to strike us and poison us again," Knight said. Casey Schaubschlager, a social worker with the Wounded Heroes Fund, called the VA's finding "one more hoop jumped." "That being said, this project has been over a decade since the approval, but with the current court process going on, who knows how the lawsuit will go on, or how long," Schaubschlager said. The VA did not immediately respond to request for comment Thursday. U.S. Reps. Vince Fong, R-Bakersfield, and David Valadao, R-Hanford, both praised the news, saying the clinic was too long delayed. "My office is working closely with the House Veterans Affairs Committee and in contact with the Veterans Affairs Department to find ways to remove the frivolous legal hurdles that have stifled this project well beyond its expected completion date," Fong said in an email Thursday. "Our veterans deserve to receive the best possible care, and I will continue to fight to deliver the services our nation's heroes have rightfully and dutifully earned," he said. Valadao said the clinic is a topic priority. "After years of delays and frivolous lawsuits, the release of the no significant impact report for the Bakersfield VA clinic is a welcome update,' Valadao said. 'This project has always been one of my top priorities, and I'll continue working closely with the VA to ensure we are doing everything we can to construct the new clinic valley veterans deserve.'
