Wo rking with Search & Rescue Helicopters Master Aircrew Duncan Tripp RAF WORKING WITH SEARCH & RESCUE HELICOPTERS This handbook is PHOTO: JOHN PAUL designed to enhance and complement the previously issued ‘Working with search and rescue helicopters’ and the ‘Sea King safety briefing’ videos and DVDs. It also provides a reference document to the safety briefing given by crews that all emergency services should ideally receive prior to flying in a Search and Rescue (SAR) helicopter. There is additional information which will give an insight into what the SAR crews require and their procedures Contents once they arrive on scene. Where possible, the information is generically applicable to most SAR 1. Acronyms 9. Ground procedures 15. Helicopters and dogs operators but mainly focuses on i. The training process 2. Disclaimer ii. Boarding and exiting RAF SAR. 10. Helicopter landing sites iii. Flying 3. Outline of The UK SAR There is a section on the 11. Working at night with iv. Winching to the helicopter Operators Group Standard operation and limitations of Night helicopters using night vision v. Winching from Operating Procedures for Vision Goggles (NVGs) and the goggles the helicopter STAR-Q Multi Sensor System Deployment of Air Assets i. Performance i. Introduction 16. Hi-line (MSS) – Thermal Imaging (TI) and ii. Procedures ii. Background TV system. Also included is a iii. Indicating your position 17. Stretcher back belay iii. Minor incident section on a ‘suggested’ system of iv. Arrival at the landing site iv. Major incident technique or winching situation back belaying a stretcher that v. Operating procedures i. Background v. Searching allows it to be secured to both the general ii. The system vi. Boarding and exiting belay and the helicopter hook at 4. Introduction vii. Departing from the 18. Emergency drills the same time during recovery. landing site or winching This is the ‘Helicopter Double 5. Types of operation situation 19. Over water Italian Hitch Stretcher Belay i. Searches 12. Crossed headlights 20. Sea King beam seats System.’ ii. Winch operations iii. Casualty evacuation 13. Safety precautions 21. Sea King multi sensor system iv. Deployment of Entering/leaving the helicopter – background information emergency service Duncan Tripp RAF i. System description personnel 14. Winching Master Aircrew ii. Practical TI operations and i. Deployment Winchman Paramedic 6. Operating limitations search planning ii. Recovery considerations i. Weather iii. Winching in winter iii. Summary COVER PHOTO: JOHN PAUL ii. Aircraft performance conditions iii. Night operations iv. Rigging of stretcher for 22. Acknowledgments 7. Call out procedure winching by SAR helicopters 23. Bibliography Information requirements 8. Helicopter communications RAF SAR FORCE: VERSION 1.0 PAGE 1 OF 31 © CROWN COPYRIGHT/MOD 2011 WORKING WITH SEARCH & RESCUE HELICOPTERS 1. Acronyms HEMS Helicopter Emergency MRS Mountain Rescue Service Medical Service MSS Multi Sensor System AAA Air Ambulance Association HMCG Her Majesty’s Coast Guard NVGs Night Vision Goggles ACPO Association of Chief Police HPC Health Professional Council RAF Royal Air Force Officers JRLO Joint Regional Liaison Officer RAFRLO RAF Regional Liaison Officer ACPOS Association of Chief Police MACA Military Aid to the Civil RN Royal Navy Officers in Scotland Authorities RNLI Royal National Lifeboat ACS Airwave Comms System MACC Military Aid to the Civil Institution ALSAR Association of Lowland Community RCC Rescue Coordination Centre Search and Rescue MACP Military Aid to the Civil Power RCS Rescue Coordination System ARCC Aeronautical Rescue MAGD Military Aid to other SG The Scottish Government Coordination Centre Government Departments SAR Search and Rescue ASR Apparatus Sea Rescue MCA Maritime and Coastguard SARDA Search and Rescue Dog ASU Air Support Unit Agency Association BCRC British Cave Rescue Council MIRG Maritime Incident Response SARF Search And Rescue Force CFOA Chief Fire Officers Association Group SOPs Standard Operating CHC Canadian Helicopter MoD Ministry of Defence Procedures Company MRCC Maritime Rescue TETRA Terrestrial Trunked Radio DfT Department for Transport Coordination TI Thermal Imaging EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal Centre UKARCC United Kingdom Aeronautical Teams MREW Mountain Rescue England Rescue Coordination Centre FLIR Forward Looking Infra Red and Wales GPS Global Positioning System MRCofS Mountain Rescue Committee HELP Helicopter Emergency Liaison of Scotland Planning MRTs Mountain Rescue Teams 2. Disclaimer This handbook will be subject to organisation to train with Military The information and procedures regular update. Therefore, it is SAR they must have signed up to presented in this handbook essential that emergency service the SAR Insurance Policy represent current best practice organisations regularly check for Indemnity with the Directorate of and standard operating updates and/or follow alternative Business Resilience, Common procedures (SOPs) employed by procedures that may well be Law Claims & Policy Division, RAF SAR helicopter crews when briefed or updated by the SAR MOD. There are exemptions to this operating with trained members of helicopter crews. such as the RNLI, however, if any official emergency service As working with any helicopter organisation is unsure they should organisations. These SOPs are in is inherently dangerous, no consult the Emergency Services common use with other SAR responsibility can be accepted for Liaison Officer at their local SAR unit. helicopter operators and, as such, any divergence from these there is a high degree of procedures, unless prebriefed. commonality. For any emergency service RAF SAR FORCE: VERSION 1.0 PAGE 2 OF 31 WORKING WITH SEARCH & RESCUE HELICOPTERS Land and Maritime based 3. Outline of ‘The UK PHOTO: JAMES LYNE SAR Operators Group emergency response assets are Standard Operating likely to respond to ten to twenty Procedures for times as many incidents as air Deployment of Air assets. Although air assets can Assets’ respond and complete an incident in isolation, the vast majority of Introduction incidents are undertaken in conjunction with other emergency The purpose of these SOPs is to response organisations. standardise and clarify the The ambulance service has a procedures for the involvement of statutory responsibility to respond air assets in emergency incidents to traumatic and medical within the UK Search and Rescue emergencies, these may include Region. HEMS assets. Under the Fire and Rescue Service Act 2004, a fire Background and rescue authority has a same incident. Accordingly, a There are a number of statutory statutory duty to deal with fires, clear understanding of who may and volunteer organisations who road traffic accidents and, under request and task assets is are capable of conducting an order of the Secretary of State, essential to ensure the incident is emergency response. The certain types of terrorist related completed in the most expeditious decision on which type of search incidents such as mass way for the casualties benefit. asset, or assets, responds to an decontamination. The Act also An incident may need the incident rests with the appropriate provides fire and rescue authorities deployment of a number of controlling authority. For a land with discretion to equip and assets. The outcome for the incident this will be the Police respond to events beyond its core casualty should be the prime Incident Control Room and, for a functions such as flooding or consideration but the overall safety maritime/coastal incident, this will animal rescue. and totality of the incident has be the Maritime Rescue It is recognised that current air precedence. For example, an Coordination Centre. ambulances and Police Air Support aircraft are not rescue MRT may secure a casualty, an air platforms, although they may be ambulance may deploy a used as such in some circumstances paramedic to stabilise the casualty in order to preserve life. and finally a SAR helicopter may recover a stretcher casualty for Minor incident onward transportation to hospital. A Minor Incident may be defined Major incident as an incident that can be completed through the The Police or MCA may declare deployment of assets held at a Major Incident. In the case of a normal readiness and be land incident, the police will coordinated by the extant establish a Gold Command and if command and control substantial air support 1 is needed organisation. An incident may be a Combined Silver Air Cell will be reported by numerous sources established consisting of aviation and more than one Level 1 advisers, communication facilities responder may be alerted to the and life support. 1The MOD defines substantial air support as the deployment of 3 or more air assets to PHOTO: DUNCAN TRIPP the same incident. RAF SAR FORCE: VERSION 1.0 PAGE 3 OF 31 WORKING WITH SEARCH & RESCUE HELICOPTERS In the first instance, these are Commander to co-ordinate and likely to be drawn from the same deconflict air assets. units providing the air support and Coordination of air activity at a may be augmented or replaced by major incident will be by SPECIAL other specialists from HQs or procedures. adjoining areas in due course. The location of the Combined Silver Air Operating procedures Cell will be at the direction of the general Gold Commander. Recent experience would indicate that the G Police Air Support Units may Combined Silver Air Cell will be only be tasked by Police located adjacent to Silver Control; Incident/Operations rooms. although Gold or an independent G HEMS helicopters may only be location may be considered eg. tasked by Ambulance Control airfield. Centre. The purpose of the Combined G HEMS helicopters must receive Silver Air Cell is to ensure air approval to partake in Land SAR PHOTO: KIRSTY MURFITT assets are used in the safest incidents by the controlling police manner to achieve the Gold incident/operations room. Commanders objective. The G SAR helicopters may only be Combined Silver Air Cell will have tasked by the ARCC. ground to air communications and In order to minimise delay in other reach back communications incidents where there is an to other HQs, including the ARCC.