Search And Rescue Taken Over By US

[Chubbs]

What do you think

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21934077

[JonnyP]

Who is paying for this service..?
Sorry, not had time to read all the link.. I owe I owe, so its off to work I go..

[Silverback]

Who is paying for this service..?
Sorry, not had time to read all the link.. I owe I owe, so its off to work I go..

The taxpayers so far....cant see how they are going to make a profit without all outdoors and off shore activities requiring insurance......its a sad, sad day it the history of UKSAR a cost per unit cannot be put on the amount of lives saved by the big yellow RAF and grey and red navy helis.

I have fond memories of working with them and being winched is an amazing experience even with a dog, the skill of the crews is legendary . I remember watching with awe as they hovered in precarious positions to lift people off fellsides and with equal awe as they plucked people from rooftops over Sheffield and Rotherham in 2007. They very rarely turned down a request to turn out to help fly someone to hospital -in fact one did just that this week in support of the team I am a member of

[Chubbs]

the skill of the crews is legendary .

Major respect to these ladies and gents. I'm lucky enough to have never required their services but know a couple of friends that have, and are very sadly no longer with us. During the Summer months I really appreciate how much work they do down here in Cornwall, RNAS Culdrose is just up the road and the skies are always a hive of activity.

[Silverback]

7539

E flight 202 sqn Living up to thier motto Semper vigilate ("Be Always Vigilant")

The other thing that will be interesting is that most of the people the paid service will be working with (if they do that is. ) are unpald volunteers including the air ambulances who will call in the military airframes sometimes for winch operations

[FishyFolk]

It's probably going that way in Norway too. They are already hiring commercial companies to take care of SAR in some areas of Norway as the aging Sea King helicopters of the Air Force is falling apart. Been several incidents allready where the SAR helicopter could not take off due to technical failures...

[jus_young]

Looks like Chivenor is set to go. 50+years of A Flight 22 Squadron to become another entry in the history books.

Yet another service that is farmed out across the seas, the UK politicians really are dead set on making this country dependent on every other continent on this planet.

[paulthefish2009]

Bloody good photo Sapper

[Silverback]

Bloody good photo Sapper

Got quite a few.....cant think why ;) That was taken on a phone camera by the way

[owen]

Great respect for the SAR teams, Mountain rescue and Coastguard... my view is they should be made a paid emergency service like all the others.
Why use private firms to take over? Many countries use the army, navy and air force in civilian situations, why can't we?

[Silverback]

Great respect for the SAR teams, Mountain rescue and Coastguard... my view is they should be made a paid emergency service like all the others.

You'd be may surprised to hear that most MR volunteers are happy to be just that and would vigorously resist attempts to be full time. RNLI = Unpaid Volunteers, Lowland Rescue = Unpaid Volunteers, Mountain Rescue Dogs = Unpaid...the list goes on

Most members of HMCG are paid staff, they do have volunteers though

As for using the Army and Navy for SAR...we already do !

The big Yellow,and the Red and Grey Sea Kings are RAF and Navy SAR. They exist primarily to provide home based SAR assets to their respective force but they come out on civvie rescues to 'train'. They also have a responsibility to provide maritime rescues as part of an international agreement.

When they aren't deployed on home duties they go off to other units on normal 'green' ops - SAR Heli Pilots are in the top 10% of their field, well trained, dedicated, and experienced.

The team Im a member of called in a RAF Sea King at the weekend to evacuated a ill person, those famous pictures of helis stacked up over Boscastle.......all RAF/RN SAR airframes

[owen]

You'd be may surprised to hear that most MR volunteers are happy to be just that and would vigorously resist attempts to be full time. As for using the Army and Navy for SAR...we already do !

The big Yellow,and the Red and Grey Sea Kings are RAF and Navy SAR, when they aren't deployed on home duties they go off to other units on normal 'green' ops - SAR Heli Pilots are in the top 10% of their field, well trained, dedicated, and experienced.

The team Im a member of called in a RAF Sea King at the weekend to evacuated a ill person, those famous pictures of helis stacked up over Boscastle.......all RAF/RN SAR airframes

I agree with what you say, my point is why give it to the US when our lads and ladies are doing such a great job.
Just another example of the "powers that be" fixing what isn't broken.

[Silverback]

I agree with what you say, my point is why give it to the US when our lads and ladies are doing such a great job.
Just another example of the "powers that be" fixing what isn't broken.

Its not this lot that even started it, this idea was first floated by the last Labour govt, shelved at great cost after the election then re hashed to what we have now.

The system works, VERY WELL as we saw this weekend and with all the other times, I wish they would leave well alone, you cant put a cost on human life and its this may very well be the first step towards paying for rescues, when in fact the bristows helis would still be the only paid part involved.

Remember folks most of the cost of rescue performed by SAR teams in the UK is borne by the volunteers doing it. MRT, Lowland Rescue and RNLI are unpaid volunteers taking no expenses, wages or money out of the public purse in fact many have to pay for the priveledge of being in one of the services through subs, fuel and equipment costs

[paulthefish2009]

Think the message there is chaps, drop a pound in next time you walk past a collection tin T^ Paul

[Silverback]

Think the message there is chaps, drop a pound in next time you walk past a collection tin T^ Paul


Nah mate the message is to the avarage 'Mr Angry of Surbiton', the actual cost of the rescue to the tax payer of 'idiots' going walking, climbing, sailing etc is minimal and there arent that many idiots that need help - like the number of benefit scroungers isnt as big as the media would have us believe

[fish]

how long will a private SAR look for you if its costing £1000 an hour?

[Ehecatl]

how long will a private SAR look for you if its costing £1000 an hour?

5-6 minutes will just about see the engines warmed up and cockpit checks complete! Allow another 30 mins to transit to the search area (I imagine in most cases this will be longer) and we're at £600 before they've even started looking!

[Silverback]

5-6 minutes will just about see the engines warmed up and cockpit checks complete! Allow another 30 mins to transit to the search area (I imagine in most cases this will be longer) and we're at £600 before they've even started looking!

Ha ha ha ha 45 mins to the Peak District on a fair weather day - although the S92 is a faster airframe. The other concern is that the Military pilots would fly in weather that grounds civvy airframes due to CAA regs

[Kernowek Scouser]

Looks like Chivenor is set to go. 50+years of A Flight 22 Squadron to become another entry in the history books.

Yet another service that is farmed out across the seas, the UK politicians really are dead set on making this country dependent on every other continent on this planet.

Like Justin says, the people who make decisions like this seem hell bent on turning this country in to the nation state equivalent of a person in care, who lacks both the ability and the memory of any ability, to wash, clothe and feed themselves, another instance of the GB government choosing to have its backside wiped by a US hand.

I could go (i did go on but it turned in to a bit of a sprawling rant) but I just leave it at, a sad day.

[jus_young]

... those famous pictures of helis stacked up over Boscastle.......all RAF/RN SAR airframes

It was the Boscastle floods that saved our teams at Chivenor from being shelved, the powers that be realised that the planned cull was maybe not such a good idea after all. Suddenly it all changes again, I wait with a degree of sadness to see what the results of that decision will be.

[Kernowek Scouser]

Maybe we should out source all of our governmental decision making? Invite foreign contractors to do it for us, at a fraction of the cost required to maintain the activities of paid politicians.

If it would help keep Ed Balls worryingly insincere face (and the face of his Stepford wife) looking out of my telly at me, such outsourcing would get my vote.

[Silverback]

Maybe we should out source all of our governmental decision making? Invite foreign contractors to do it for us, at a fraction of the cost required to maintain the activities of paid politicians.


We already do.....its the EU !

[jus_young]

We already do.....its the EU !

:happy-clapping:

[Silverback]

Looks like Chivenor is set to go. 50+years of A Flight 22 Squadron to become another entry in the history books.


Not just Chivenor...

Culdrose - SAR operation moves to Newquay
Wattisham - moves to Manston
Valley - moves to Caernarfon
Boulmer - SAR operation ending
Portland - Closing
Lee-on-the-Solent - not moving
Chivenor - moves to St Athan
Leconfield - moves to Humberside
Lossiemouth - moves to Inverness

[blindgeekuk]

The first I ever saw a sea king, I was about 4. A woman had fallen off the cliffs of Flamborough Head, the tide was coming in, and the lifeboat (also first time I saw a lifeboat) couldn't get close to her. This imposing, noisy yellow beast roared over head, and after a few minutes plucked the woman up and set her back down on the field near the carpark where a ambulance rushed her off.

Suffice to say it made a mark in my memory at that young age. Ever since then, I've donated to the RNLI whenever I can, and as an adult, I've tried to make sure my kids understand just how important those volunteers are. I always make a point of calling into the lifeboat stations when I'm at the coast, and always donate now - i'd rather go without a couple of loaves of bread, or a beer but know that they have the money to rescue me or my family if I ever got into difficulties. Last time we went on holiday, there was an open day at Seahouses lifeboat station, where you could go on board one of the boats, and later in the day they were taking people out in the harbour in the rescue dingy/speedboat things.

I life in the shadow of Yeadon airport and in the summer months, you'll hear the air ambulance whirling to life and dashing off multiple times a day. Its a reassuring sound, and why I also donate to the air ambulances whenever I can.

[rawfish111]

Looks like Chivenor is set to go. 50+years of A Flight 22 Squadron to become another entry in the history books.

Yet another service that is farmed out across the seas, the UK politicians really are dead set on making this country dependent on every other continent on this planet.

T^

[rawfish111]

We already do.....its the EU !

T^

[Yungen of Bury]

looks like another, 'its for the best, honestly!' policy to drag more money out of the coffers, so politicians can claim further national poverty to excuse increased taxation paired with decreased public services... maybe thats just my opinion though...

[FishyFolk]

Looks like we are finally going to get a SAR boat stationed here on the Island :-)
I'd volunteer if I was fit for it. But I ain't so that's the end of that story. Well, well, I'll continue to buy the lottery tickets, and the cakes and whjat not that puts coin in their treasury chests to finance it. And with more reason than before. Besides...they will probably check me out in my little rubber dinghy of a SIB....lol

[Fraxinus]

While I have some concern about the changes, mostly covered in above posts, I do like that Manston will again have a SAR base.
Even if it is non military. There is a lot of traffic in the channel.
I also fondly remember them from my youth and the displays they made each summer at Broadstairs water gala. Along with the RNLI
and Coastguard they got the Sea Safety message out to a lot of holiday makers and us local kids.
The only RAF contingent left there when they went is the fire training school.

Another T^ also, to all SAR people, whatever branch they are in.

Rob.

[Ehecatl]

Hi Rob. I take it from your post that you are towards the east end of Kent. I'm near Gravesend and we've a Kent group set up on this site - feel free to join.

On 20th April we're doing an overnighter near Maidstone if you fancy joining us.

Cheers,

M@