SAR vessel "Jenny Wihuri" at the port of Helsinki at dawn
Rescue rope training
(
SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.
[ ]Definitions of Search and Rescue
There are many different definitions of search and rescue, depending on the agency involved.
- Canadian Forces: "Search and Rescue comprises the search for, and provision of aid to, persons, ships or other craft which are, or are feared to be, in distress or imminent danger."
- United States Defense Department: "An operation normally coordinated by a Rescue Coordination Center (RCC) or rescue sub-center, using available personnel and facilities to locate persons in distress" and rescue is "An operation to retrieve persons in distress, provide for their initial medical or other needs, and deliver them to a place of safety."
[ ]
History
One of the world's earliest well documented SAR efforts ensued following the 1656 wreck of the
Dutch merchant ship
Vergulde Draeck off the coast of
Australia. Survivors sent for help, and in response three separate SAR missions were conducted, without success.
Types of Search and Rescue
Mountain Rescue
Mountain rescue relates to search and rescue operations specifically in rugged and mountainous terrain.
Ground Search and Rescue
Ground search and rescue relates to search and rescue operations in non-urban regions (that is, backwoods or remote regions). Also referred to as wilderness search and rescue, which includes areas such as seashores, lakes, rivers or
caves.
[ ]Urban search and rescue
Urban search and rescue (Also known as Suburban Search and Rescue as
USAR Teams often relates to structural collapses and other
technical rescue) operations are
Search and Rescue operations conducted in a city.
Combat Search and Rescue
Combat search and rescue is search and rescue operations that are carried out during war that are within or near combat zones.
[ ]Air-sea rescue
Air-sea rescue (ASR) refers to the combined use of aircraft and surface vessels to search for and recover survivors of aircraft downed at sea as well as sailors and passengers of sea vessels in distress.
[Algeo, John. Fifty years among the new words: a dictionary of neologisms, 1941–1991, pp. 39, 106–107. Cambridge University Press, 1993. ISBN 0521449715]Standards
With or without formal underlying foundations, numerous SAR organisations develop their own proprietary training curricula and operational protocols, which are available and applicable only to their own members.
In the
US SAR standards are developed primarily by
ASTM International and the
US NFPA which are then used by organizations such as the Mountain Rescue Association (MRA), the
US National Association of Search and Rescue (NASAR), and the
US NFPA to develop training that will meet or exceed those standards.
[ ]Within
ASTM International, most standards of relevance to SAR are developed by Committee F32 on Search and Rescue. Formed in 1988, the committee had 85 current members and jurisdiction of 38 approved standards.
International Divisions of Search and Rescue Responsibility
International Waters
International waters are divided into various regions according to the
SOLAS convention. See the map provided by the
United Nations
International Search and Rescue Advisory Group (INSARAG) is a UN Organization that promotes the exchange of information between national Urban Search and Rescue Organizations.
SAR by nation
Australia
AusSAR, which is part of the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (
AMSA), provides a national search and rescue service.
[ ]AusSAR operates a 24 hour Rescue Coordination Centre (RCC) in
Canberra and is responsible for the national coordination of both maritime and aviation search and rescue. AusSAR is also responsible for the management and operation of the Australian ground segment of the
Cospas-Sarsat distress beacon detection system. The service that spans the nation and covers 52.8 million square kilometres of the Indian, Pacific and Southern Oceans.
AusSAR's RCC is staffed by SAR specialists who have a naval,
merchant marine, air force,
civil aviation or police service background. The RCC also coordinates medical evacuations, broadcasts maritime safety information and operates the Australian Ship Reporting System (AUSREP).
There is also the national non-profit
Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter Service.
State search and rescue
State Police in many states operate state-based search and rescue squads, such as the Victoria Police Search and Rescue Squad, which provides specialist expertise, advice and practical assistance in land search and rescue on most terrain including snow and vertical cliff search and rescue.
[ ]There are also state-based volunteer search and rescue groups such as the
Bushwalkers Wilderness Rescue Squad[ ] in
New South Wales and
Bush Search and Rescue[ ] in
Victoria. These state-based groups draw searchers from bushwalking, mountaineering and specialist rescue clubs within their State. A few groups respond on horseback as
mounted search and rescue.
The
State Emergency Service is a volunteer based emergency organisation which is responsible for most rescue efforts in rural areas and in any rescue that results from flood or storm activity. In rural areas the SES conducts most bush search, vertical and road traffic rescues. In urban areas they assist the police and fire services with USAR.
[ ]Belgium
Search and rescue duties along the Belgian part of the
North Sea are executed by the
Belgian Air Component. From its
Koksijde Air Base it operates 5
Westland Sea King Mk.48 helicopters.
[ ]Brazil
Search and rescue duties in
Brazil are the responsibility of the
Para-SAR, of the
Brazilian Air Force.
[ ]Canada
Search and rescue duties in Canada are the responsibility of the
Canadian Forces and
Canadian Coast Guard in conjunction with provincial and municipal governments and private organizations. The Department of National Defence (DND) has overall responsibility for the coordinated search and rescue system. Authority for the provision of maritime SAR is assigned to the Minister of Fisheries and Oceans by the
Canada Shipping Act and the
Canada Oceans Act.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and other police forces also coordinate ground search and rescue (GSAR) operations, often using volunteer GSAR teams operating in specific districts under provincial coordinating bodies.
The Canadian Forces has five assigned SAR squadrons:
Plus three Combat Support Squadrons with SAR roles:
Some municipalities have their own SAR units:
There are also volunteer non-profit associations that conduct SAR in Canada:
Denmark
Search and Rescue operators in
Denmark are primarily:
Danish air force Squadron 722,
Danish navy air squadron,
naval home guard and the
Danish Maritime Safety Administration, coordinated by the
Joint Rescue Coordination Centre, operated by the navy and air force in the
Danish Naval Commands facilities near
Aarhus. Internationally the Danish works mainly with
Germany,
Norway and
Sweden. With the two latter, the annual exercises
Baltic SAREX[ ] and
Scan-SAR[ ] are conducted.
SAR-services in Denmark started in 1957 with seven
Sikorsky S-55s. Their
piston engines produced only and they had limited fuel capacity, so their operational range was short. To increase the operational area,
Pembroke twin-engined fixed-wing aircraft were employed for search. These aircraft would localize the
distressed person(s) and the S-55s would then rescue them. The SAR-service was started for respond to fighter-plane crashes as 79 aircraft crashed, with 62 dead, in the period 1950-1955.
[ ], but civilian SAR-duties are also conducted.
In 1962 eight ship-based
Aérospatiale Alouette IIIs were received. These were primarily meant for the ships patrolling the North Atlantic, but also supported the S-55s. In 1964 - 1965 the seven S-55s were replaced with eight Sikorsky
S-61A helicopters
[ ]. This helicopter was originally designed for
anti-submarine warfare, but the Danish variant had the heavy dipping
sonar equipment removed and extra fuel tanks added, giving the helicopters longer range. In 1977
radar was installed and in 1990
FLIR was added. Further
avionics and navigation systems, including
GPS, have also been added over time.
In 1977 the naval air squadron was re-established as an independent squadron in the navy and had their Alouette IIIs replaced with
Westland Lynx helicopters. Their primary operational area was still the North Atlantic, but they continued their support role, although this was reduced with the introduction of the S-61s. In 2006, the first of the S-61s was replaced by one of 14 new
AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin helicopters.
In 2007 the
Danish Defence held a public display in
Horsens, to raise awareness about rescue services and maritime safety. Maritime SAR is important because Denmark has a relative long coast line to its land mass.
[ ].
In 2008 the SAR forces in Denmark were equipped with eight EH-101, one or two Lynx, 34 naval home guard vessels and 21 rescue vessels
[ ] as well as the naval vessels at sea. The EH-101s operate from bases in
Aalborg (
EKYT),
Skrydstrup (
EKSP) and
Roskilde (
EKRK). When the sea water temperatures are low a helicopter is also deployed to the island of
Bornholm (
EKRN) in the
Baltic Sea. The Lynx operates from
KARUP (
EKKA). Maritime vessels are spread out through the entire coastline and on islands. The S-61s and EH-101s have a crew of six: Two
pilots, a
navigator, a
flight engineer, a
physician and a
rescue swimmer.
Estonia
The Estonian Border Guard (
Piirivalve) is the Estonian security authority responsible for the border security. It is the main support organisation for search and rescue missions in Estonia, and operates a small fleet of SAR vessels and helicopters.
Finland
In Finland the responsible authority for land and inland water SAR is the Fire and the Crisis and the Frontier Guard in the maritime area. These organizations alert and decide on the most suitable response for the location and situation. The country also has several volunteer organizations such as the volunteer fire department (VPK)
[ ], the Finnish Lifeboat Institution (SMPS)
[ ] and the Red Cross Finland (SPR)
[ ].
Germany
Search and Rescue in German waters is conducted by the
Deutsche Gesellschaft zur Rettung Schiffbrüchiger DGzRS (literally translated: German Society for the Saving of Shipwrecked, more common: German Maritime Rescue Service GMRS) with air support by the
German Navy and the
German Air Force. All incoming requests are coordinated by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Center in
Bremen. The DGzRS is a non-governmental organization entirely supported by donations .
Besides the offshore Search And Rescue services, the German Air Force provides such as well, using Bell UH-1D "Huey" helicopters.. Inland, there are mounted SAR groups affiliated with
Johanniter-Unfall-Hilfe, an organization that provides road-based
first responder services; these groups provide comparable services off road, usually at field sporting events.
Hong Kong
SAR operations are conducted by the
Government Flying Service and before 1991 by the
Royal Hong Kong Auxiliary Air Force. Their fleet consists of nine aircraft including:
[ ]Mountain rescue operations are carried by the
Mountain Search and Rescue Company of Hong Kong
Civil Aid Service in conjunction with the Hong Kong Fire Services Dept and the air support from the
Government Flying Service.
Hong Kong Marine Police vessels and rescue divers from Hong Kong Fire Services Dept work with air support from the Government Flying Service to conduct maritime SAR within Hong Kong waters.
Iceland
Search and Rescue operations in Iceland are mainly handled by the
Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (Slysavarnafélagið Landsbjörg) which operates numerous vehicles and boats across the country, along with the
Icelandic Coast Guard which operates SAR helicopters and patrol vessels.
[ ]The unique thing about Iceland Association for Search and Rescue is that it is operated almost solely on volunteer's contribution. The rescue units are more than 100 in total and are located in almost every part of the country. All the units contain groups of specially trained individuals.
[ ]Ireland
SAR services are provided by a civilian body, the
Irish Coast Guard.
[ ] It has responsibility for the Irish Search and Rescue Region.
[ ]The Royal National Lifeboat Institution
RNLI provide the waterborne element of Search and Rescue around the coast of Ireland from 43 lifeboat stations including inland stations at Enniskillen and Lough Derg. In addition, there are community rescue boats at eleven stations: Cahore, Tramore, Bunmahon, Bantry, Derrynane, Banna, Ballybunion, Kilkee, Schull, Limerick City, Corrib/Mask. The coastguard also has inshore rescue boats around the country.
Italy
Italian Guardia Costiera CP-902 U. Diciotti
Search and rescue is the responsibility of the
Guardia Costiera.
[ ]Malta
The responsibility for SAR at sea in the Malta Search and Rescue Region falls under the
Armed Forces of Malta (AFM). It is carried out by maritime patrol aircraft, helicopters and vessels under the co-ordination, command and control of the Rescue Co-ordination Centre.
[ ]The AFM, in close collaboration with the US Coast Guard, also runs a Search and Rescue Training Centre for International Students in Maritime SAR Mission Co-ordination and Planning.
[ ] To date more than 30 foreign students from 15 countries including Albania, Cameroon, Croatia, Equatorial Guinea and Kenya have attended these courses.
[ ][ ]Malta is also in talks with
Libya about enhancing SAR cooperation between the two countries.
[ ]Netherlands
SAR responsibility in the Netherlands is held by the
Royal Netherlands Coast Guard, carried out by vessels and aircraft from various organisations among which the
Koninklijke Nederlandse Redding Maatschappij, the
Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management and the
Navy and
Air Force.. The Navy has No. 7 Squadron which flies the SAR and utility version of the
Lynx maritime helicopter. The
RNLAF has a specialized SAR unit, 303 Squadron, which is equipped with
Agusta-Bell AB 412s and based at RNLAF Leeuwarden.
New Zealand
New Zealand's Search and Rescue Region extends from the
South Pole to the southern border of the
Honolulu region, including Norfolk, Tonga, Samoa, and
Cook Islands.
[ ]Smaller searches are controlled by the local
police, who call on LandSAR for land-based operations, such as for lost
hikers, and the
Royal New Zealand Coastguard for coastal maritime incidents. Larger maritime search and rescue events, as well as reports of overdue aircraft, fall under the control of the National Rescue Coordination Centre, based in
Wellington, which coordinates response from local coastguard, helicopter operators, merchant marine,
air force and
naval resources.
There is also the charitable organization
Westpac Rescue Helicopter (New Zealand).
Norway
Norsk Selskab til Skibbrudnes Redning, also called the Redningsselskapet (English: Norwegian Society for Sea Rescue (NSSR)), is Norway's maritime rescue service. They have 43 search and rescue boats based from Oslo in the south to Båtsfjord in the north. Thirteen of these boats are operated by volunteers.
[ ]The NSSR was founded on 9 July 1891, with a clearly defined goal – to save lives at sea. The NSSR is a humanitarian organization aiming at saving lives and recovering property at sea. Maintaining rescue services along the Norwegian coast, and neighbouring sea areas where such services may be necessary. The NSSR also runs an information service and educational programs designed to improve safety for boaters. The first rescue boats, the
Colin Archer-class, were introduced in 1893. They were powered by only by sails and oars. NSSR’s boats and crew have saved over 6,200 people. More than 500,000 people have received assistance.
The search and rescue helicopters are operated by the
Royal Norwegian Air Force (RNoAF), who fly 12
Westland Sea Kings. These are scheduled to be replaced by the
NHI NH90.
[ ]Norwegian Red Cross Search and Rescue Corps (Røde Kors Hjelpekorps) have a large number of local SAR teams spread across the country. These are all manned with volunteer SAR workers. With 13,500 members in 320 local teams, this is by far the largest SAR organisation in Norway. Missions include assisting the police searching for missing people in woodlands and the mountains, search and rescue in lakes, rivers and at sea, and finally assisting skiers and holiday makers in the mountains during winter time. All volunteers have an extended First Aid education and certification, most are certified on HeartStart machines and trained in search techniques. Many of the local teams also operates ambulances and have crews trained for this.
The
Norsk Luftambulanse-group (
Norwegian Air Ambulance), and the company
Lufttransport provides medical evacuation services throughout the country.
South Africa
The South African Search and Rescue Organization (SASAR), is a voluntary organization that functions under the auspices of the Department of Transport. SASAR is responsible for responding to aviation and maritime incidents. Its main role is to search for, assist and carry out rescue operations for the survivors of aircraft or vessel accidents.
[ ]Depending on the nature of the accident, the RCC's (ARCC or MRCC) coordinate the search and rescue missions. These operations are carried out by other government departments, non governmental organizations, commercial/private organizations and voluntary organizations.
Local resources:
Switzerland
REGA (Schweizerische
REttungsflugwacht /
Garde
Aérienne /
Guardia
Aerea) is the air rescue service which provides emergency medical assistance in
Switzerland, notably in mountains but also in cases of life-threatening emergencies elsewhere. They will also return a citizen to Switzerland from a foreign country if they are in need of urgent medical care. Rega was established on 27 April 1952 by Dr. Rudolf Bucher, who thought that the Swiss rescue organisation needed a specialised air sub-section.
United Kingdom
In the
UK, maritime search and rescue is coordinated by
HM Coastguard, while land-based operations are usually coordinated by the local
Police force. The operation itself is carried out with aircraft from the
Royal Navy,
Royal Air Force or Coastguard,
RNLI lifeboats and police, military or volunteer
mountain rescue or
ALSAR (Association of Lowland Search and Rescue) teams. Aircraft coordination is carried out by the UK Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (
ARCC) based at
RAF Kinloss in the north of Scotland. The centre is responsible for tasking and coordinating all of the UK's search and rescue helicopter and RAF mountain rescue teams.
[ ][ ]In 2006, the government announced controversial plans to effectively
privatise provision of search and rescue helicopters in order to replace the aging
Sea Kings currently in use, although they have suggested that crews may, at least partially, still be made up of
military personnel.
[ ]Local resources include:
United States of America
In January 2008, the
United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released the
National Response Framework (NRF) which, serves as the guiding document for a federal response during a national emergency. In addition to the NRF there are 15 annexes relating to Emergency Support Functions (ESF) which, includes other federal agencies that contain resources or expertise to support an emergency. Search and Rescue is included as ESF-9 and divides SAR into 4 primary elements, while assigning a federal agency with the lead role for each of the 4 elements.
Other national organizations:
California
Colorado
Florida
Maryland
New York
North Carolina
- NCCERT (North Carolina Canine Emergency Response Team)
Oregon
Virginia
Virginia is one of the few states that benefits from a state-coordinated system of training and response under the
Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM). Under Title 44 of the Code of Virginia, VDEM develops and maintains the
Commonwealth of Virginia Emergency Operations Plan (COVEOP) that includes the ESF-9 Annex for Search and Rescue. Similar to the federal version of ESF-9 under the
National Response Framework (NRF), VDEM divides SAR into 4 primary elements. While VDEM functions as the lead for ESF-9, many agencies, departments and volunteer organizations routinely responds to and supports SAR operations in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
[ ][ ];Aeronautical
Search and rescue services for downed, missing, or overdue aircraft and
Emergency Locator Transmitters (ELTs). Organizations include:
;Inland/Wilderness
For search and rescue of lost and missing persons in a wide variety of circumstances and environments, resources include:
;Maritime/Waterborne
Providing search and rescue for vessels in distress in coastal and inland waters, resources include:
;USAR/Disaster
To provide response in the event of collapsed structures and significant events, organizations include:
- Region 1 to 7 Technical Rescue Teams
Washington
See also
