But the trust's owner and operator could not prevent the honour being bestowed on him recently, as a recipient of a 2016 Kiwibank Local Hero Award.
"To be honest, I was actually very surprised [to get the award], and I don't do the hero thing well,'' Mr Gale said.
"It's a word I don't warm to or like very much. I'm only a small part in this whole thing, really.''
In reality, Mr Gale is a very significant part of the operation.
In fact, it would probably not exist without him.
Mr Gale established the rescue helicopter service in 1994, having flown for commercial and agricultural operations since 1992.
He also played a key role in developing the Otago Rescue Helicopter Trust a few years later, which now operates the rescue service.
Mr Gale said he was able to develop the air ambulance service by having a strong network of contacts.
"For accepting the award, I'm very humbled.
"I really accept it on behalf of my staff, my family and all our crews that have made it actually possible.
"We've got some extremely good people around us that have believed in the path that we were following.
"Without those people, this journey wouldn't have happened.''
Based at Taieri Airport in Mosgiel, the rescue service covers 23% of New Zealand's land mass.
One of the biggest innovations in recent years had been the addition of night vision goggles, Mr Gale said.
"That alone has enhanced the safety for the pilots, the crew and the patients.
"We do a lot of missions at night now and we couldn't do that before.''
The Kiwibank Local Hero Awards aim to reward "ordinary people doing extraordinary things in their local communities'', and were established in 2010.
The judging panel said Mr Gale had played an important role in saving many lives in his community.
"Not only has Graeme undertaken many offshore rescue missions, he has been responsible for some very important changes in the way that air rescue work is undertaken,'' the panel said.
"Graeme is passionate about providing the best level of care possible to the Southern Region.
"He has invested in the best medical and avionics equipment to enhance the care and safety of everyone on board each time the rescue helicopter goes out.''
