Millionaire helicopter pilots to ferry emergency services...

[ShyTorque]

Shy
Very rude of me meant to reply to your latest, do the brigades not speak to you at all or is there the argument of who is paying for this?

No, they don't speak to me and I see no reason why they should. I'm not in a position to offer the Fire Brigades use of a helicopter.

[Hughes500]

SS
now thats a really good question, I would hope that he would never arrive in the first place as I am assuming ( rightly or wrongly) he would be " tasked" only as last resort. I suppose that then brings you back to the original question.
I suppose one would be very heartless to say no at the scene but you are quite right to ask, havent actually thought of that ! Interstingly as it is then a matter of saving life is the ANO actually suspended ? Now I am NOT using that as an excuse to let him do anything it is just a question ( please dont shoot the messanger !) As one gets deeper into it the more problems appear, what started as a generous offer which appeared to be a relatively simple task could end with all sorts of problems, to excuse the pun at the moment a bit of a snowball effect.

[Al-bert]

Halleluja

As one gets deeper into it the more problems appear, what started as a generous offer which appeared to be a relatively simple task could end with all sorts of problems,

I think one or two of us might have mentioned that Hughes500!

[Hughes500]

Al-bert
I do realise that but I only defended JP from so rather nasty personal comments from people who should know better at the start of the thread. All boils down to what the " sops are" if it goes ahead

[thedandyfireman]

Thanks for the offer, Hughes500, you may well end up regretting it!! Regards to him taking the casualty to hospital, one of our brigade's trucks waited so long for an ambulance, they loaded the casualty onboard and took him themselves. They, or rather the OIC got slaughtered! That's cracking what you did with the Dartmoor fire. Did you pay for it yourself? The fuel and whatever else I mean? Fantastically public sprirted, and just the sort of thing that Mr Paxton should do, not trying to provide an emergency response. I HATE grass fires, and anything to make them easier'll get my vote every time.

[Al-bert]

Hughes500

I'm sure that none of the naysayers meant to be 'nasty' to JP. It's just that when you fly (or have done) emergency helos as a professional, for many years, the pitfalls and 'what ifs' are blindingly obvious. We can all construct a hypothetical instance where JP or a.n.other could be useful but it's a pretty long shot and cannot be relied upon, plus, a well meaning amateur, no matter how proficient as a pilot, would most likely just get in the way at a major incident due to lack of multi agency training and comms and differant, possibly more restrictive, SOP's - however, I am minded of the evacuation from Dunkirk and the part played there by amateurs so......keep up the good work

and another thing - we have all come across 'rescue badge walts' (see my earlier entry on this thread re North Wales Airborne Ski Patrol) and I'm guessing JP was (possibly unfairly) tarred with the same brush?

[[email protected]]

Hughes 500 - if it was the Dartmoor fire I am thinking of(20 Mar 2011), I was in the Sea King that was tasked to locate and rescue a school party believed to be trapped by the fire. They weren't but we ended up flying the fire chief for an airborne assessment of how the fire was spreading.

It is interesting that we were tasked there for one purpose and not the other, possibly because the fire service didn't think to ask or they were turned down by the ARCCK.

[AnFI]

Crab - was the weather bad? night?

[[email protected]]

It was early morning and still dark when we got there - the brightness of the fire meant NVG ops were tricky. There was some low cloud and fog about IIRC, but it was difficult to tell the fog from the smoke of the fire. It was daylight and improved conditions by the time Hughes500 (if it was the same event) pitched up.

[pplh]

Without necessarily wishing to resurrect this thread I thought it would only be right to share the news that the man at the centre of this debate has sadly suddenly passed away - BBC reporting that Jeremy Paxton died aged just 53 after a heart attack on Tuesday evening. Thoughts are with his family and children.

BBC News - Wiltshire 'flying fire engine' pilot Jeremy Paxton dies

[SilsoeSid]

Thoughts with family and friends.

[toptobottom]

Shocking and sad. He was doing what he believed to be a good thing. RIP.

[sycamore]

Let us all hope that he was not overstressed by his endeavour to be a `Good Samaritan`.
RIP,JP

[Thomas coupling]

Very sorry to hear this. He may have been misguided, but he was certainly a colourful character by all accounts. The fraternity will be a poorer place without him. RIP JP.

[Peter Hugh Pigott]

Help with bush fires

For the past twenty years I have been flying both helicopters and fixed wing aircraft during the bush fire season in the Blue Mountains National Park surrounding my home West of Sydney Nsw Australia.I have my own helipad and have incredible support from neighbours and appreciation for years of help without cost to the the Bush Fire People. It is very helpful also for the image of the Helicopter industry. Yengo