Johnny Franklin: NZ Land Search and Rescue Chief development and project officer on the increasing number of missions

An ageing population is playing into an increase in urban Land Search and Rescue missions. 

Over the past six months, the volunteer group's been called on 23% more year-on-year. 

It's meant 22% more volunteer responders have been deployed. 

Chief development and project officer, Johnny Franklin told Andrew Dickens that alongside alpine and bush rescues, urban rescues have been of particular concern. 

He says urban rescues account for about 25% of operations and is expected to increase as the population gets older. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now, over the last six months, there has been a
significant increase in search and riscue operations as is compared
to the year before. Land Search and Risk Who say
they've seen a twenty three percent increase in the demand
for services and a twenty three percent increase in the
number of people being assisted. We're getting lost and a
cost to save us. So Chief Development and Project Officer

(00:21):
Johnny Franklin is joining me now, Hello.

Speaker 2 (00:23):
Johnny, Good morning, Andrew. How are you good?

Speaker 1 (00:26):
Why are we getting lost?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
That's a really good question. The data for that last
six months or so is still a bit fresh, so
we've not had an opportunity to analyze it, so it's
pretty quite difficult for us to answer that at the moment.

Speaker 1 (00:39):
Well, what kind of operations are they?

Speaker 2 (00:43):
There's a variety of operations, you know, the typical things
that people would expect. Landsearch a message to be involved
in the autpine environment of the bush environments, but also
we get involved in operations in urban areas for people
who may have cognitive conditions, and that accounts about twenty
five percent of our operations, and obviously as our population

(01:04):
gets older, that percentage increases.

Speaker 1 (01:07):
While you're still analyzing the figures. It's you know, it's
very tempting to say we're getting more tourists again, and
more tourists aren't doing this the appropriate you know, preparation
before they go into these difficult environments.

Speaker 2 (01:24):
I think, you know, we are seeing an increase in
a number of international tourists coming to New Zealand, but
we're still not at the same levels as we were
pre COVID. And yet we're still seeing that increase at
the moment. And we also have to remember that, you know,
this number of tourists only accounts for fifteen percent of
such a mescue operations. You know, that still wouldn't account

(01:45):
for this huge increase. But still this in the last
six months.

Speaker 1 (01:49):
But still the numbers go up and we have to
find them and we have to save them. Therefore, you
have to have enough money to do it, and you
have to have enough people. So what does this mean
for the amount of volunteer you're having to deploy.

Speaker 2 (02:03):
Well, obviously the number of volunteers deploying goes up with
the number of instances occurring. We have sufficient volunteers at
the moment. We have three thousand, three hundred volunteers around
the country. But you know, they give up their time
and that's their most valuable asset, and we are currently
expecting them to provide most of their equipment, which places
a huge financial burden on them. So, you know, over time,

(02:27):
that makes it more difficult for us recruit.

Speaker 1 (02:30):
And do you have enough people?

Speaker 2 (02:32):
We do have enough people at the moment, but I think,
you know, for the longevity and the sustainability of the organization,
removing those barriers to recruitment is the only way that
we can probably continue to be able to provide that
service in the future.

Speaker 1 (02:44):
And how sustainable is your funding model? These increases you
need more money even though you depend on volunteers. So
how sustainable is your funding model?

Speaker 2 (02:53):
Well, I think at the moment we're able to We're
very fortunate receive eight point seven eight point seven eight
million from the government, but in order to fully equip
all of our volunteers and provide a fully funded service,
that would probably that cost about twenty five million dollars
we estimate, and we're able to make up some of

(03:16):
that funding by you know, local charitable trusts, etc. But
the volunteers do bear the vast majority of underspend themselves.

Speaker 1 (03:24):
Well, Johnny, could you thank the more for us. You
guys do amazing work and great work and we will
Where would we be with Ada? And we thank you
for everything you've done. That's Johnny Franklin, Chief Development and
Project Officer. For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge,
listen live to News Talks.

Speaker 2 (03:39):
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