Regional helipads at six hospitals sit inside restricted rotorwash zones, leaving them unusable despite a $23 million upgrade
The $23 million upgrade of regional helipads has taken another turn, with new safety failures grounding six pads across South Australia.
Previously, we covered how several regional helipads could not be certified and how safety fences were already removed for being too dangerous. Now things are worse. Documents show childcare centres, private homes and a retirement village fall inside the 66-metre rotorwash exclusion zone required by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau and supported by CASA.
This affects the helipads at Clare, Victor Harbor, Murray Bridge, Loxton, Mannum and Port Pirie. MedSTAR pilots have no choice but to land elsewhere when responding to emergencies.
Shadow Minister for Regional Health Services Penny Pratt says the safety standards were already published in September 2023, months before the government announced the upgrades.
“At the end of the day, our regional communities just want access to timely emergency responses when their lives are in danger.” Ms Pratt said.
CASA documents confirm the updated recommendations were in place before construction began. Ms Pratt has called for clarity around what the required fixes involve and what this means for residents and nearby facilities.
“Residents and businesses must be told whether they will need to be forced out of these buildings or whether the Government will start from scratch, throwing millions down drain.
With six helipads mothballed and no timeline for resolution, regional communities are again left watching helicopters land on sports grounds instead of the infrastructure built for them.
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