26 May 2020
More than 1.5 million residents in Northern New South Wales rely on the services of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service as they provide critical care, aeromedical search, rescue and inter-hospital transfers to the community.
The pilots, aircrew officers and engineers, along with their on board medical team spend their day protecting people in our communities, and the equipment in place to protect them while they are on the job is just as vital as the services they provide.
BHP has announced, through its Vital Resources Fund, support to the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service in Northern New South Wales, by funding the provision of new emergency equipment and PPE.
The equipment will aid the service in its response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and includes infectious control equipment and decontamination materials.
Mt Arthur Coal General Manager Adam Lancey said BHP had a long history supporting the service through Matched Giving Donations by its employees, and was proud to continue to partnership through the Vital Resources Fund.
“We understand how vital this service is to the broader NSW community, and are proud to provide our support to the service so they can continue to operate and keep our communities safe,” Mr Lancey said.
Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service Chief Executive Officer Richard Jones said the service was appreciative of the support, which meant they could continue their focus on servicing the Northern NSW region.
“Our team has had to increase the infection control measures to ensure our aircrews and engineers can continue to serve our community 24/7. We are very grateful to receive this support from BHP through the Vital Resources Fund, for the provision of additional protective equipment for our team,” Mr Jones said.
“This equipment is essential for our teams to continue to do their jobs, and in particular throughout the COVID-19 response, where our priority is the health and safety of our community.”
Our contribution was made through BHP’s newly established Vital Resources Fund (VRF), which was established to support regional Australian communities facing significant challenges as a result of COVID-19.
In addition to providing immediate relief, the VRF will work with partners to support projects aimed at strengthening communities, to address impacts caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. As the longer term impacts of the crisis become clearer, the VRF will seek to fund projects addressing economic recovery designed to specifically address this impact.
You can read more about the Fund here.
Get the latest BHP news alerts, straight to your inbox
Get BHP news first. Stay in touch with our latest updates, investor news and media releases.