United Kingdom Search and Rescue by Dr ASG Jones MBE

section other agencies11

The co-ordination and representation of all UK SAR STRATEGIC COMMITTEE Search and Rescue (SAR) was reorganised UK SAR OPERATORS GROUP with the establishment Provider of Services of the current structure in 2000. VOLUNTEER WORKING GROUP The definition of SAR, as given in the Foreword to The Framework Document, is ‘Search and Rescue is the activity of locating and MARITIME AND AVIATION INLAND recovering persons either in CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE WORKING GROUPS CONSULTATIVE COMMITTEE distress, potential distress or Users of Services Users of Services missing and delivering them to a place of safety.’ Civil Maritime and Aviation SAR is not a devolved COMMUNICATIONS UK SAR FLOOD RESPONSE function but land SAR is devolved FRAMEWORK including SATELLITES TECHNICAL GROUP to various local levels. The police have primacy in land SAR. The current structure is shown in the LOCAL SAR MEDICAL GROUP organogram. GROUPS The terms of reference of the strategic committee are:

1. To develop criteria for the coverage, responsiveness and so, represents the views and ideas ! Scotland Office availability of SAR resources, on all aspects of SAR. ! Welsh Office consulting the UK SAR Operators ! Royal National Lifeboat Group as required. Institution (RNLI) 2. To offer views to ministers on The Strategic improving SAR capability, Committee effectiveness and co-operation. Membership of the Strategic The Operators Group 3. To promote effective and Committee consist of The Terms of Reference for the efficient co-operation between the representatives from: Operators Group, acting under the various government departments, aegis of the UK SAR Strategic ! Department for Transport (DfT) – the emergency services and other Committee, are: organisations including voluntary Chair and Secretariat ! agencies for the provision of an Maritime and Coastguard 1. To develop a programme of effective SAR service at national Agency (MCA) work to implement the tasks set by ! level and, where appropriate, Ministry of Defence (MoD) UKSARSC. ! international level. Home Office (HO) 2. To consider reports and ! 4. To establish the framework for Association of Chief Police recommendations from UK SAR as described in this Officers, England, Wales and associated SAR working groups. document. Northern Ireland (ACPO) 3. To consider the views of the ! 5. To provide terms of reference Association of Chief Police UK Maritime and Aviation SAR, for the UK SAR Operators Group. Officers (Scotland) (ACPO(S)) and inland SAR consultative ! It should be noted that the Chief Fire Officers Association committees. Strategic Committee reports (CFOA) 4. To advise and make ! directly to ministers and, in doing Department of Health (DoH) recommendations to the ! Northern Ireland Office UKSARSC on a national SAR

UNITED KINGDOM SEARCH AND RESCUE PAGE 1 OF 4 section other agencies11

United Kingdom Search and Rescue

framework to ensure efficient and operators group and its working medium risk areas within the UKSRR effective co-operation between groups. within 60 minutes of take-off SAR agencies and those C. There should be a SAR concerned with civil SAR. The Consultative helicopter available ‘on-state’ at 5. To determine the terms of Committees each SAR base for 98% of the reference and issue other base’s declared SAR operating guidance as appropriate to SAR The two consultative committees time; usually 24 hours per day Working Groups and Consultative – Maritime and Aviation, and throughout the year. In addition, to Committees. Inland – are made up of members cater for concurrent SAR tasks In the normal course of events, representing the users of SAR and to provide a surge capacity for the Operators Group meets four services. These two committees large disasters, a second times a year. report directly to the Operators helicopter and crew should be Group. The views of users can be available at certain military SAR The Operators Group placed before the Operators bases. Group and information on the SAR Harmonisation will start in The UK SAR Operators Group developments in SAR can be 2010. consists of members representing circulated to users of the services. the national bodies of the The UK SAR providers of SAR services. As Much of the detailed work on National Plan such, all are directly involved in the many aspects of SAR has been provision of SAR services. The and will be delegated to the The UK SAR National Plan was members are: working groups shown in the republished by the MCA in April, 2008 and is titled ‘Search and ! DfT - MCA, Chair and organogram. Some of the working Rescue Framework for the United Secretariat groups are in abeyance until such Kingdom of Great Britain and ! MoD (RAF), Vice Chair time as there is need to reactivate Northern Ireland.’ The document is ! HO, Emergency Planning them, others are currently active. available as a pdf file at the Division Additional working groups may be following URL: ! ACPO established as and when the need ! ACPO(S) arises. http://www.mcga.gov.uk/sandr/f ! CFOA ramework/UK_SAR_Framework_ ! DoH Helicopter Provision Document.pdf ! Association of Lowland Search The Helicopter Provision Group It is also available on the UK SAR and Rescue (ALSAR) tabled its report in June, 2001. It web site: ! British Cave Rescue Council carried out a risk assessment (BCRC) http://www.dft.gov.uk/transportf based on 42,000 incidents within ! Mountain Rescue Committee of oryou/uksar/ the UK search and rescue region Scotland (MRC of S) over a three year period. It ! Mountain Rescue England and established coverage criteria for The Communications Wales (MREW) SAR helicopters which are: Working Group ! Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) A. A SAR helicopter should The Communications Working ! Royal National Lifeboat take-off as quickly and safely as Group (including Satellites) was Institution (RNLI) possible, normally within fifteen established to consider all aspects All the national voluntary minutes by day and 45 minutes by of communications related to SAR. organisations that provide SAR night, from receiving notification of In 2001, the CWG subsumed the services are full members of the the incident by the appropriate work of the National Controlling operators group. Since the RCC. Committee (NCC). Of direct benefit inception of the current structure, B. A SAR helicopter should be to mountain and cave rescue was mountain and cave rescue has capable of reaching all very high the release of additional VHF High been active in the work of the and high risk areas and 75% of all Band channels for the exclusive

UNITED KINGDOM SEARCH AND RESCUE PAGE 2 OF 4 section other agencies11

United Kingdom Search and Rescue

use of Land SAR. The MCA took on the licence and approved users © David Allan operate under a Letter of Authority issued by the MCA. The use of these VHF High Band Channels is governed by the ‘Implementation and Control of the United Kingdom VHF High Band land Search and Rescue Radio Channels.’ The current version of this document may be found on the UK SAR website. The change over to the High Band channels has been completed.

Control of confusion is particularly important when one team is on a training exercise and one is involved in an actual operation. Actual operations must have priority over training and ...teams must use the proper, authorised call signs... similar activities. In the case of two teams being operational, a balance will be required to ensure Teams must use February, 2009 the use of PLBs on there is minimal confusion on the proper, authorised call land is contrary to regulations but two operations. Through the signs and abide with the demand for use on land is auspices of the CWG, chief the requirements of increasing. Satellite support for constables agreed to their control the most current PLBs operating on 121.5 MHz has rooms passing on requests for version of the been withdrawn. The use of PLBs co-operation in reducing radio Implementation and and enhanced PLBs operating on interference. It is noted that control Control Document. 406 MHz on land is being rooms cannot order an It is a regulatory requirement that considered for use on land. If emergency shut down of a radio written radio logs are kept permitted, a mandatory net. The procedure to be followed whenever radios are in use. registration system will be is as follows: Teams proposing to engage in a enforced. 1. Identify the call sign and, training exercise should advise the hence, the team causing the police control room of their The Medical Group confusion. If possible, identify the proposed area for training and The Medical Group was area in which the team is how they may be easily contacted. established in 2005. It was operating. In the event of an approved user established to consider many 2. Attempt to contact the team wishing to lodge a formal aspects of casualty care in the directly by radio and inform them complaint, copies of the written context of SAR in all environments. of the problem. radio log will be requested before The Terms of Reference are: 3. If contact cannot be established, the CWG will consider the case. contact your local police control General room and ask them to pass on the PLBs request to the control room in the ! The UK SAR Medical Group’s relevant area from which the The use of Personal Locator aim is to develop the convergence confusion is originating. Beacons (PLBs) on land is a of patient care within UK SAR. developing subject. As of

UNITED KINGDOM SEARCH AND RESCUE PAGE 3 OF 4 section other agencies11

United Kingdom Search and Rescue

Detailed responsibility Membership ! A rescuer second ! A provider of casualty care third ! Review current medical Membership comprises With active participation in the provision for UK SAR. members and/or appropriate Operators Group and its working ! To encourage the development specialists for the organisations groups, the profile of mountain of commonality of training and represented at the UK SAR and cave rescue has been raised standards for patient care within Operators Group. significantly. There has been a UK SAR. greatly increased awareness of the ! Identify guidelines for future One of the underlying principles work carried out by the voluntary structure to harmonise clinical of SAR is the ‘order of priority’. organisations active in providing governance within UK SAR. SAR personnel must be: SAR services. ! A specialist first (caver, mountaineer, lifeboatman, helicopter rear crewman)

Dr Anthony Jones is vice chairman of Mountain Rescue England and Wales. Born in India, he was educated at Bishops in Cape Town, where his work with mountain rescue began in 1954, with the Cape Town section of the Mountain Club of South Africa. In the UK, he joined the Ogwen Valley team, of which he is now an Honorary Life Member. Over the years, his involvement has spanned comms and helicopter liaison, medical matters, SARDA Wales and training, driving the cause of mountain rescue forward through his work with ACPO, the Home Office and the SAR Operators Group.

Published 31 January 2010

UNITED KINGDOM SEARCH AND RESCUE PAGE 4 OF 4