When time is of the essence...

When a 14-month-old baby boy was found face down in a farm trough at a farm property, east of Eltham, a 111 call to the Central Ambulance Communications Centre in Wellington alerted the Taranaki Rescue Helicopter for an emergency medical response.

With an Ambulance Paramedic on board, the Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter made the 14 minute flight to the Eltham farm where the child’s mother had already pulled him from the trough and given him CPR, which got the child breathing again. While her quick actions had helped save the young boy's life, he was still in a serious condition when paramedics arrived to stabilise him for the 13 minute return flight to Taranaki Base Hospital in the new Agusta 119 Rescue Helicopter.

While the Eltham Fire Brigade was the first to arrive at the scene, followed by a local doctor, Senior Station Officer Kerry O'Keefe said the boy was breathing but was struggling, so fire-fighters gave him oxygen and cleared his airway until the Rescue Helicopter arrived. Mr O'Keefe said the boy's mother had put the boy in the recovery position, "She had done everything she possibly could, and her actions had given the little boy a good chance of surviving” he said.

The Taranaki Community Rescue Helicopter Crew then flew the boy to New Plymouth Base Hospital, and he was later flown to Auckland's Starship Hospital but remained in a serious condition.