Key Takeaways
- A 14-year-old boy was rescued from Lake Taupō after his boat caught fire, and he spent an hour swimming away from the burning vessel without a lifejacket.
- The rescue helicopter was initially told it was not needed, but was later called in 20 minutes later, leading to a delay in the boy’s rescue.
- Police have released timestamps showing the timeline of events, but have provided little comment on the delay.
- The incident has raised questions about the coordination between emergency services and the use of rescue helicopters.
- The boy was rescued at 7:47pm, about an hour after the alarm was raised, and was found to be conscious and active.
Introduction to the Incident
The incident occurred on a Sunday evening when a 14-year-old boy was alone on a boat on Lake Taupō. The boat caught fire, and the boy was forced to abandon ship and swim to safety. The alarm was raised at 6:46pm, and the police, Fire and Emergency New Zealand (FENZ), and Coastguard were all alerted. However, despite the urgency of the situation, the rescue helicopter was initially told it was not needed, leading to a delay in the boy’s rescue.
The Delay in Rescue
RNZ has learned that the chopper was told it was not needed at 7:04pm, but was later called in at 7:25pm. This delay meant that the boy was left in the water for longer than necessary, and it was only when the chopper was finally deployed that he was spotted and rescued. The crew of the chopper had prepared to respond to the incident, including a specialist water rescue member who could be winched down to get the person out of the water. However, the specialist was stood down when the team was told they were not required.
The Rescue Effort
The rescue effort involved multiple agencies, including the police, FENZ, Coastguard, and the rescue helicopter crew. The chopper was finally deployed at 7:30pm and spotted the boy in the water at 7:40pm. The boy was taken aboard the Coastguard boat at 7:47pm and was found to be conscious and active. The boat ended up burned out, and it is not clear how it caught fire. The police have released timestamps showing the timeline of events, but have provided little comment on the delay in the rescue.
Coordination Between Emergency Services
The incident has raised questions about the coordination between emergency services and the use of rescue helicopters. In a similar incident in January, police refused a chopper to take a FENZ lines team to rescue a teenage girl trapped on a cliff face. The police said no because of the cost, but later told RNZ that they had failed to ask enough questions and thought the girl had died. Emails have shown that firefighters in Auckland and Hamilton have discussed recurrent problems getting their lines rescue teams involved quickly in emergencies or picked up by air ambulance helicopters.
Timeline of Events
The timeline of events is as follows:
- 6:46pm: FENZ alerted to a fire in a boat off Kinloch and contact police, Coastguard, and harbourmaster.
- 6:49pm: Police SAR call Hone Hato St John airdesk.
- 6:54pm: Airdesk calls Taupō rescue chopper about a ‘potential’ incident to confirm if equipped for water rescue; told yes.
- 7:04pm: Police tell St John no chopper needed.
- 7:19pm: Police timestamp shows police confirm boy is missing.
- 7:21pm: FENZ crew reaches burning boat.
- 7:25pm: Police tell St John chopper is needed.
- About 7:30pm: Chopper takes off, spots boy after 7:40pm.
- 7:47pm: Boy rescued.
Conclusion
The incident on Lake Taupō has highlighted the importance of effective coordination between emergency services and the need for timely deployment of rescue helicopters. The delay in the boy’s rescue has raised questions about the decision-making process and the communication between agencies. The police and other emergency services have released statements and timestamps, but more needs to be done to ensure that similar incidents are handled more efficiently in the future. The boy’s rescue is a testament to the bravery and skill of the emergency services, but it also highlights the need for improvement in the coordination and response to emergency situations.
