Vandals risk air ambulance

By Kath Gannaway
AN AMBULANCE helicopter was forced to land in what Wandin CFA captain Bob Potter has described as “less than ideal conditions” last week because emergency lighting at Wandin Reserve had been vandalised.
The air ambulance was called in the early hours of Wednesday morning after the driver of a vehicle involved in a collision with a truck on Old Baker Road had to be cut from the wreckage of his vehicle.
The man, suffering multiple injuries, was transported to Wandin Recreation Reserve to be airlifted to Melbourne.
Mr Potter said emergency services arrived at the reserve to find the lights had been smashed.
“Given good weather conditions the helicopter can pretty much land anywhere but last night there was some fog around and it was decided to use the reserve,” he said.
“They were able to land in the end, but the conditions were less than ideal.”
Setting up the reserve as an emergency helicopter landing area had been a cooperative effort between the Wandin CFA, Wandin Football Club and Wandin Rotary Club.
“It was disappointing, when the community has pulled together to put something like that there to find someone had smashed it,” Mr Potter said.
In a generous concession, he said he felt whoever smashed the lights may not have realised what they were damaging.
“It was probably just a good target for a rock,” he said.
“But, it might be them that need it one day and being able to transport people by air can mean the difference between life and death in some situations,” he added.
Mr Potter said the two young people in the car had a narrow escape after hitting the truck and careering off the road, narrowly missing a gum tree and coming to rest near a pine tree.
“They got off lightly, all things considered,” he said.
He said the driver of the truck, a local resident, was uninjured.