The two Westpac rescue helicopter services based in the northern half of NSW will be part of one single tender to be made by the Hunter and New England North West Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service under its existing Air Operating Certificate.
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The Government announced earlier this year that it would award only two contracts for NSW, one for the Sydney and southern regions and one of the northern regions.
The Lismore based Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter Service and the Hunter and NE/NW Service both say their similar and much praised community-based structures made it possible for the one tender bid to meet Government requirements.
The Government indicated earlier in the year that it would welcome tender from existing operators under consortia type arrangements.
The two chairmen acknowledged the standards delivered by the other and pointed out that the Government had shown its own confidence in the Services announcing the location of doctors and paramedics at the bases.
The Chairman of the Hunter and New England North West Service, Mr Cliff Marsh, said both Services had begun independently planning for the change about four years when it became apparent that there would be significant changes in rotary wing aeromedical retrieval.
The Chairman of Northern Service, Mr Warren Tozer, said that these changes included the required replacement of all aircraft with more sophisticated and even better equipped machines.
Both said that the two boards were determined that the communities they serve would see only improvement yet retain their very close links with their respective services.
People in the Northern Rivers area would continue to see the familiar faces of pilots and crews.
Mr Tozer said the agreement under which the one tender bid would be made was simple in its approach.
“We retain all the things that our communities value most but we have developed an appropriate structure that enables us to compete against the best in the commercial sector.”
“We have every confidence that this tender will be viewed favourably by Ambulance NSW, by the NSW Department of Health and, most importantly, by the NSW Minister for Health, the Hon Jillian Skinner,” Mr Marsh said.
Mr Marsh added: “We will talk more directly with our stakeholders, our supporters, our volunteers and the wider community about the details of how all this will work but they can be assured that just as it is now, what funds are raised in regional communities will stay there and those communities will have the best possible aeromedical and rescue services.'