Air Corps "not interested in Search & Rescue" ?

[Silver]

Has anybody here read the 'Flying In Ireland' article about the new Coast Guard SAR heli contract?

The author makes some good points imho...incl the following -

- Price Waterhouse (suggested?) that one provider should supply ALL heli services in a small country like Ireland
- That a public/private partnership (where both AC and CG pilots would operate SAR helis (as will now be the case in the UK) should have been considered
- That there seems to be no concept of having back SAR helis/crews in place up in the event of CHC going bust
- Why only ONE back up SAR heli between all Irish bases (when UK bases have a back up heli at each base)?
- Could the AC not have provided some (or all?) SAR helis using the AW139 (which the UK CG will now also use)?
- The (seeming) waste of money on a 10-year SAR contract which will still mean no SAR heli assets belong to the state at the end of the contract
- And finally - when a question was put to the Minister for Defence in the Dail asking was the Air Corps invited to bid for the tender? - the answer was that the Air Corps are "not interested in search and rescue" (or words to that effect)?!     

(To qualify the last point, my understanding is that the AC are not interested in providing full time SAR heli services in Ireland...but would ofcourse always assist in any SAR op when requested to do so)

Personally I agree with the author's points.
I believe that in a small country like ours it would have made more sense to provide the Air Corps with the necessary helis to provide all SAR cover for the island. Or at the very least have a 50/50 pilot split built into the contract so as to allow for SAR cover to continue in the event of the SAR provider company going on strike, or worse still going bust.

[Tempest]

Welcome to the shoddy way nearly everything is done in Ireland!

[CK]

As Tempest said welcome to Ireland.

[Pink Panther]

Talk about flogging a dead horse guys. This one has been done to death now , the decision is made and won't be changed. The next one up for tender will probably be top cover, and after that flight training within the AC.

A question Silver, what will the UK do if CHC goes bust, they are also providing all heli's and bases in the UK.

The reason for one backup in Ireland is quite simple, funds.

Again, the 139 is not fit for purpose in the SAR roll in the UK and will be replaced.

[Silver]

I'm fully aware that this topic has been discussed before....as have lots of AC topics. It was the current edition of 'Flying In Ireland' editorial article about this subject which raised the issue. And valid points it raised too imo.

AFAIK, under the new UK system RAF and RN pilots will be part of the UK CG 'pilot pool' and therefore there will be trained military SAR pilots available for civilian (and combat?) SAR. I dont know the exact ins and outs of the UK contract, but it surely makes sense to also have military pilots trained for SAR ops?
Perhaps there is a clause in the contract that in the event of CHC going bust or whatever, that the UK govt can continue to use/operate the SAR helis/bases for a limited period until replacement helis/bases are estsblished?! 

Do the Air Corps carry out any SAR training?
The AW139's have winches...are these only now used for Ranger Winger 'fast roping' training? If so it seems a great shame to me that the AC's proud record/history in SAR is being let fade away?! 

[Lootenant Pigeon]

I agree with you Silver. Mental. The usual Irish hames.

[heligaz]

Although the IAC have a fleet of 6 AW139s, the UK coastguard who operate the 139 under CHC have said the 139s are not suited to the SAR role and they are unhappy operating them.

[Pink Panther]

8:00 pm

Lucinda Creighton (Dublin South East, Fine Gael)

Question 60: To ask the Minister for Defence if there has been any consultation with other Departments with a view to involving Air Corps helicopters in search and rescue operations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [23448/10]

Tony Killeen (Minister, Department of Defence; Clare, Fianna Fail)

The Irish Coast Guard has overall responsibility for the provision of Search and Rescue, (SAR) services within the Irish Search and Rescue region. In accordance with the roles assigned to them by Government in the White Paper on Defence, the Defence Forces are committed to providing support to the civil authorities including in relation to Search and Rescue. In this regard, the Air Corps provides support to the Coast Guard as the need arises and within its available capability.

The Air Corps was withdrawn from Maritime SAR in 2004 following operational difficulties in the provision of a consistent and satisfactory level of service.

The Department of Transport at the outset of its deliberative process into the purchase of new SAR helicopters invited the Department of Defence to nominate a person to the Future Helicopter Study Group to ensure that the widest consideration be given to the matter. A departmental official to represent departmental policy and an Air Corps Officer to advise on technical and operational matters were nominated by the Department of Defence. The current Air Corps helicopter assets are not configured for maritime search and rescue nor does the Air Corps have pilots or winchmen with the required training and experience to support such operations.

The Air Corps has a 24/7 general helicopter capability which is available in support of government approved missions. Its roles include support to the Garda Síochána, air ambulance, transport roles in support of civil authorities and response to emergencies and natural disasters on land. The Air Corps has a range of Service Level Agreements with State bodies and agencies including the Coast Guard. The SLA which was signed in December, 2008 sets out the SAR assistance that the Air Corps provides to the Coast Guard. The provision of assistance during mountain rescue operations and fixed wing top cover by the Air Corps Casa aircraft to Coast Guard helicopters are included in this agreement.

There are no plans to restore the Air Corps Maritime SAR capacity; to do so would require very significant investment in equipment and training over many years before it could be operational again.

By the way SAR-H in the UK is suspended at the moment, to see if more savings on the contract can be made. This will now probably be achieved by excluding military crews and military equipement from the UK SAR fleet.