RAC chopper service lauded for fast action in rescues

Emergency rescue crews were called to a series of unrelated incidents in the Capes region on Monday at the same time a bushfire kicked off near Yallingup. The Department of Fire and Emergency Services deployed the RAC Rescue chopper when a bushwalker broke her ankle north of the Wilyabrup cliffs. The chopper ferried the woman to a waiting St John Ambulance crew before scooting off to Black Point near Augusta for a second incident. Earlier in the day the crews also attended a surfing incident near Yallingup. DFES brigades involved in the Wilyabrup rescue were then called to a nearby bushfire north of Wildwood Road. The Wilyabrup incident unfolded when a hiker became injured after trekking with Cape-to-Cape Explorer Tours. Company director Gene Hardy said it was the first time the RAC chopper was needed to retrieve a client due to the inhospitable terrain and he was awed at the fast and professional response. “That service is amazing,” Mr Hardy said. “I had to hike in by foot with meds. She was in a lot of pain. Even with a stretcher it would’ve been difficult.” After scouring the area for a safe landing space, the chopper found a location immediately nearby the injured woman, Mr Hardy said. “She didn’t have to move at all,” he told the Times. “It was just super impressive. It made something that was almost impossible relatively straightforward.” A witness to the rescue told the Times the chopper crew epitomised professionalism after landing their craft in the narrowest space available. The crew showed grace under pressure despite the rash of incidents, the witness said. The Augusta incident near Lake Jasper involved a person who fell on rocks, a DFES spokesperson said.