0445 Beee-beee-beee-beee-beee-beee-beee Around the western side of Tongariro National Park, fire fighters are waking up...except in National Park. In National Park, everyone is waking up...(small village, big siren!) The start of my day yesterday...assistance to ambulance...two trucks, nine firefighters respond...it's a 'lift-assist' down a rocky track, with patches of snow, to the road...going to need all those people...if this was further up the mountain, the RARO alpine rescue team might be needed as well... It's a relatively clear night, good viz, no wind...but not going to need the Greenlea helicopter this time... I look at the people who've responded...two on-shift ambulance officers, one possibly both paid staff; there's a guy with a newborn baby: he's probably used to being dragged out of bed in the wee small hours; the Chief has a 100km commute each way to work, this was probably her sleep-in morning; a couple of DOC rangers; staff from the holiday park and a local lodge: they won't be getting back to bed before it's time for them to get up anyway; a guy who pulls pints at the local, probably didn't finish till late; a couple of guides too, probably also had been anticipating a well-deserved sleep-in... This is the daily face of first response in New Zealand...volunteers pulled from their beds, their families, their jobs by a call for assistance. These are the ordinary people who, on the ground, will have to deal with extended response time for rescue helicopters from bases further away if the NASO plan goes through unchallenged. These are the ordinary people who will have to wait with a casualty if NASO's more capable but smaller helicopter fleet is over-worked. These are the ordinary people who will be doing the leg work - literally - if a crew from further away lacks the local knowledge to fly directly to a location through narrow weather windows and a patient has to be carried to a suitable landing point. Ordinary is the wrong word - extra-ordinary is what they are, doing this day in, day out to provide vital services across New Zealand...firefighters, ambulance officers, Coastguard, Land Search and Rescue, alpine rescue, Civil Defence...they deserve better than what's NASO's offering... We learned last night that the rescue helicopter service based in Whitianga is also at-risk under the NASO plan and we have broadened our scope once more include this affected community in the petition. Under the new plan, residents and visitors will have to wait for a helicopter from Auckland or Hamilton - if they are not already busy - for any rescue helicopter services. This is another current rescue helicopter base that was omitted from NASO's map of current operating locations - could that map be more misleading..? (Misleading being the polite word) The first march in support of the rescue helicopters is tomorrow (Monday 16 April) in Taupo with another planned for Te Anau in a week or so. Here's the link to join up and/or share (https://www.facebook.com/events/160751454604966/) If you can't make it, please feel welcome to add a comment in support on the even page. Support for the helicopters and our campaign is strong around Ruapehu, Taupo and Fiordland. We're not hearing much about what's happening in Rotorua and, now, Coromandel. If you know of someone with concerns about, or who is also fighting, the NASO plan to reduce the number of rescue helicopter bases and, it seems, reduce the number of helicopters as well, please point them in our direction, either the petition or the NZ Rescue Helicopters FB group (https://www.facebook.com/groups/393625254440038/). This plan WILL GO AHEAD by November this year if affected communities do not kick up a stink about the plan and the process... Over 17,000 signatures as of this morning...aiming for 25,000 now...thanks for all the support...keep on sharing...