Search and Rescue to be Privatised

The Government has announced plans to privatise the whole of the search and rescue service (SAR). This covers the helicopters used to search for lost and injured walkers and climbers in Scotland. The plans do not affect the Mountain Rescue Service which will continue as a voluntary service, although Mountain Rescue Teams work in close cooperation with the SAR, and the Government has said that the service will remain free to use.

Search and rescue operations are to be transferred from HMS Gannet at Prestwick to Glasgow under a new multi-billion pound deal to move all SAR services to the private sector. The search and rescue service based in Stornaway has been run under such a private scheme for sometime. A new service will combine the current work of the RAF, navy and coastguard.

It is likely that privatisation will reduce the number of helicopters from 38 across the UK, to possibly as few as 24. The familiar Sea Kings will be replaced by faster and larger Sikorskys which the Government says will provide a better service. The private consortium which one the bid, Soteria, which includes the Royal Bank of Scotland, will take over the service from 2012. The new service, to be based near Bristol will be jointly managed by the Ministry of Defence and the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.

In Scotland there are particular concerns about the future of HMS Gannet which currently operates the SAR for the southern and some western parts of the country. Defence Minister Quentin Davies told BBC Scotland that under the £6bn deal, helicopters will not fly from the Prestwick base but will instead fly from Glasgow Airport. Local MP, Brian Donohoe said, “It will mean the end of Gannet because search and rescue is 90% of what it does.” Over 100 crew and other staff are based at Prestwick and Mr Donohoe said he would fight the plans.