Emergency services in NSW have joined forces to relocate a rescue air base from Bourke to Wentworth, to support residents isolated by flooding along the Murray Darling Basin.
Stations and farms are being cut off by rising water levels in the lower Darling River and Menindee Lakes, despite major flooding from the Murray River beginning to subside near the NSW-Victorian border.
The State Emergency Service (SES) and Rural Fire Service (RFS) air wing moved the operation to the Wentworth Airport.
SES specialist rescue team air commander Michael Davison said there were now two rescue helicopters, air base officers, specialist pilots and aircrew at the site.
"We're moving the air base to where we're needed, following the movement of the floods to ensure the helicopters are on standby to provide a 15-minute emergency response." Mr Davison said.
The Wentworth SES air command's two helicopters are equipped with a range of rescue and surveillance capabilities.
"The helicopters are equipped with winches for rescue, extraction, deployment or delivery of supplies to isolated areas," Mr Davison said.
"They can provide essential reconnaissance to survey the impact of the floods on essential infrastructure and surrounding communities."
Groceries by helicopter
The SES air command team has also been delivering much-needed supplies to properties near Menindee and surrounding station communities.
"When people become isolated, they start to run low on essential items, or can't access their post, so this week we're working with Australia Post to deliver the mail," Mr Davison said.
The team has been able to resupply all sorts of essential items, such as medications and animal feed, with some isolated sheep stations having the option of ordering groceries to be delivered via helicopter.
RFS aviation officer Rick Ott, normally based in Coffs Harbour, is one of a rotational team of specially trained rescue crew, who ensure the air command can deploy using the helicopters' high-level rescue capabilities.
"The 412 helicopter is equipped with emergency rescue winches that enable crews to rescue people from rising flood waters from vehicles or rooftops or in bushfires," Mr Ott said.
"It's also equipped with a military grade camera that provides highly detailed intel of major infrastructure such as roads, power, sewers, septic systems at risk of flood waters."
Volunteers become specialists
Nine years ago, Rick Ott was selected as one of 20 volunteers to train as part of a specialist aviation rescue team.
That team now has more than 40 people who respond to major disasters such as floods and bushfires.
"We're trained with the capability to do two-person winch, we can be lowered down into emergency situations or onto a car, or a rooftop to extract people," Mr Ott said.
Mr Ott said maintaining competency in high-risk rescue situations took ongoing training.
"Unfortunately, we've been able to use those skills a lot lately, with the 2019 and 2020 bushfires and more recently responding to the Lismore flood emergency, to the floods here," he said.
"We've had a wide range of emergency situations to put our skills into action."
He also credited the "top notch" pilots and aircrews, who he said, "spend more time in the sky than they do on the ground".
More help needed
Crews assess and manage the risks of the challenging role with daily briefings.
"There's lots of risks that we need to manage. Just because there's a rescue needed, doesn't mean that we're capable of doing it," Mr Ott said.
The SES and RFS are calling for more volunteers to aid in supporting communities during the aftermath of the floods.
"You don't have to be a superhero," Mr Ott said.
"You just have to be mentally strong and caring, but really you just have to be there to help your community.
"Helping people is really what it's all about."
