Emergency
Services Lesson
This is a short note about an incident at our club motocross racetrack a few weeks
ago when an emergency
services helicopter caused a lot of pain
that will probably go un-noticed due to more serious nature of its visit.
Some people on this site are involved in such things and maybe can carry this message on.
Several times in the bush we have been around helicopters but I will take more care in future.
First as a track offical and witness I will make no comment on why the helicopter was required.
While standing on a high point at the end of a 100m straight with
track marshalling flags in hand, I noted a helicopter coming in low
appearing to
check for a likely landing spot. It apparently decided
that the south end of the race track straight was the place to land and swung around to approach the landing spot from the north were I was and came in with a gentle glide beginning directly over my head at an altitude of maybe 10 metres causing such a huge downdraft that I dropped the flags.
It then cruised down the straight, loosing altitude until it landed.
Along the front of the straight was a line of cars, interspered with those temporay
free standing 4 pole Gazebo type shade covers and lots of people.
Within a few seconds the first Gazebo was hit by the downdraft, picked up and deposited some 20m away narrowly missing my car.
The next was not so lucky as the whole assembly lifted knocking over picnic tables.
The next lifted high into the air and came down pole first into the side of a car causing quite a dent.
The next did a sort of flip, spearing a pole thru a windscreen, and bouncing
off a teenager.
You have probably got the idea by now.
In a 30 second (filmed) run right down the main straight the helicopter blew away
at least a dozen of these temporay aluminium framed structures and caused mayhem in the car park, as it landed within 10m of cars.
There were already 3 ambulances present but I heard no reports of direct physical
injuries amongst the crowd (that were caused by the helicopter).
A couple of hacksaws came from somewhere and the owners cut there destroyed Gazebo's up enabling some room and means to get out of the cramped car park.
5 minutes later the helicopter left empty.
While the area away from the car park was clear I am no expert into landing
or training requirements and maybe this approach was necessary but it was not
without its cost.
Robin Miller