Category: Search and Rescue

SY54 SAR British Red Cross Mercedes Unimog incident control and

SY54 SAR British Red Cross Mercedes Unimog incident control and communications support unit. This Search and Rescue vehicle has a personalised registration plate. Notice the size of the steps to get into the rear! It is owned by the Scottish Government and after a spell with Mountain Rescue, the Red Cross are the current custodians of it.

YK62 UKC York Rescue Boat Land Rover Defender 110 – This is the charity’s only vehicle…




YK62 UKC York Rescue Boat Land Rover Defender 110 – This is the charity’s only vehicle. It was donated by a local dealership to help the charity raise its profile during it’s first few months of operation. It is used for publicity and will develop into a patrol and rescue vehicle. The purchase of a boat and training of volunteers will follow.




The side view. York Rescue Boat is focussed on the safety of the rivers in and around York. They aim to achieve this by means of a patrol and rescue boat, combined with a programme of education.




From the rear




The winch




The charity’s logo on the bonnet




Another view of the Land Rover

Defence Helicopter Flying School – demonstration of water rescue capability. They train …




Defence Helicopter Flying School – demonstration of water rescue capability. They train Search and Rescue pilots and personnel. This is a Eurocopter Squirrel and is based at the HQ at RAF Shawbury, near Shrewsbury.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.




Defence Helicopter Flying School.

Watch a video of this vehicle in action!



G-CIAS Channel Islands Air Search operate this 1982 Islander aircraft …



G-CIAS Channel Islands Air Search operate this 1982 Islander aircraft for Search and Rescue work (with personalised registration). CIAS is a 24/7 charity that assists in saving lives at sea and is supported entirely by volunteers. The Channel Islands are a distance away from government-funded French and English rescue helicopters and so created their own service in 1980.



The aircraft in its purpose built hanger on Guernsey. It was built in 1982 and came to the service in 1992 with many modifications made. These include extended nose housing for radar, extended wing tips and long range fuel tanks.



Another view of G-CIAS ready for action. With callsign ‘Airsearch One’, it can travel at up to 140 knots and can stay in the air for up to 4 hours 30 minutes. It carries out sea and land searches, including mainland France and England.



The rear view of the aircraft called Lions’ Pride. It can take off with just 100m visibility and the time from call to airborne is about 25 minutes. This includes the time taken for the volunteers to drive to the hanger – a journey that is helped by the use of green flashing lights on their private cars.



The Forward Looking Infa Red (FLIR) pod shown cost £200,000 to purchase and was a massive sum to pay out for a small charitable organisation. However the benefits of having this save lives.



The underside of the aircraft as seen from the sea. The charity use the tag line ‘The Lifeboats’ Eyes in the Sky’.



A close look at the four speakers used as a public address system or siren.



Inside the aircraft. This compact space is for five team members: a pilot, a search director and observers. There is no capability to rescue or transport casualties.



The rear observer seats. The windows are bulged outwards to allow the observers to look straight down. A small chute at the bottom of the photograph allows sea flares to be placed on the sea as markers. Behind the rear seats is an inflatable life raft that can the pushed out of the aircraft to be used by up to 11 people in the sea.



In this staged photograph, G-CIAS is in flight, joined by the Channel Islands’ other rescue services.

Y639 TUK This is a SAR Land Rover Defender 110. It is operated by …



Y639 TUK This is a SAR Land Rover Defender 110. It is liveried as Dorset Search and Rescue, an organisation formed in 2004. However this vehicle is not part of their fleet. It was used by a civilian international major incident advisor assisting Dorset Police and MOD in running a pre-Olympic training exercise in Dorset. Unfortunately the livery was not approved and neither the use of blue lights outside the MOD training grounds in Lulworth.

It carries blue and amber flashing lights that are used independently as required. Since this photograph was taken, the livery and blue lights have been removed from this vehicle.





The rear view, showing the roof rack for carrying bulky equipment.