Key Takeaways
- A 14-year-old boy was rescued from Lake Taupō after spending an hour swimming away from his burning boat without a lifejacket.
- The rescue helicopter was delayed due to police initially deciding it was not needed, despite being alerted to the incident at 6:49pm.
- The boy was eventually rescued at 7:47pm, with the helicopter crew spotting him a kilometer from the burning boat and throwing him a life ring.
- Police have released timestamps showing the timeline of events, but have provided little comment on the delay in calling in the helicopter.
- The incident has raised questions about the response to emergencies and the communication between different agencies.
Introduction to the Incident
A boy with no lifejacket spent an hour swimming away from his burning boat on Lake Taupō while rescue helicopter calls were delayed by police, RNZ has learned. The incident occurred on a Sunday evening, and the boy, who was 14 years old, was rescued an hour after the alarm had been raised with police at 6:46pm. The boy was fine after the incident, but the delay in the rescue response has raised questions about the communication between different agencies and the protocols in place for emergency situations.
The Rescue Response
RNZ made inquiries after becoming aware of questions being asked locally about how long it took the chopper to get to the scene. A well-placed source was asked by RNZ if the boy was in the water longer than need be and said, "Yes, absolutely." The chopper could have been there "a lot sooner… It was a delay." Police released timestamps on Wednesday, one of which said they confirmed the boy was missing at 7:19pm. The timestamps also showed that police had initially decided that a helicopter was not needed at 7:04pm, but then reversed this decision 20 minutes later.
Communication Between Agencies
The incident has highlighted the importance of clear communication between different agencies in emergency situations. Kinloch residents called Fire and Emergency at 6:46pm, and FENZ alerted the police, Coastguard, and Harbourmaster. Police at 6:49pm called the national airdesk run by Hone Hato St John that dispatches rescue choppers. However, the chopper crew was told they were not needed at 7:04pm, and the specialist water rescue member who could be winched down to get the person out of the water went home. It was not until 7:25pm that police requested a helicopter to assist with the search and rescue, as they had determined there was a person unaccounted for.
The Rescue Effort
Once the chopper was finally deployed, the crew quickly spotted the boy a kilometer from the burning boat and threw him a life ring. The boy was rescued at 7:47pm, and a nearby Coastguard boat took him aboard. Some nearby boats had not spotted him earlier, and it was the chopper crew that ultimately located him. The boy was assessed as conscious, capable, and active, and did not need to be winched up. The incident has been praised as a successful rescue effort, with the Coastguard Lake Taupō president saying that their volunteers were proud to have played a role in bringing the boy home safely to his family.
Investigation and Review
The incident has raised questions about the response to emergencies and the communication between different agencies. Police have said that they are reviewing the incident, but have provided little comment on the delay in calling in the helicopter. The incident has also highlighted the importance of clear protocols and communication in emergency situations. The timestamps released by police show that there was a delay in requesting the helicopter, and it is unclear why this delay occurred. The incident will likely be subject to further review and investigation to determine what happened and how the response could be improved in the future.
Conclusion
The rescue of the 14-year-old boy from Lake Taupō is a reminder of the importance of clear communication and protocols in emergency situations. The delay in deploying the rescue helicopter has raised questions about the response to emergencies, and the incident will likely be subject to further review and investigation. However, the successful rescue effort is a testament to the bravery and skill of the rescue crews involved, and the boy’s safe return to his family is a relief to all those involved. The incident highlights the need for continued review and improvement of emergency response protocols to ensure that similar incidents are handled more efficiently in the future.