Search and Rescue Europe Report 2013

A survey was recently conducted in view of the Search and Rescue Europe 2013 conference, due to take place 19-21 March at Action Stations, Portsmouth, to gain insight into the current trends and challenges in the industry. Here are a few conclusions from the report...

Improving interoperability, communication and co-operation with other SAR resources is the biggest concern for more than a third of organisations. The main issue hindering the development of a seamless Search and Rescue response is lack of leadership and too many resources operating with no 'big picture'. Funding is also impacting on the ability of organisations to deliver their services - reflecting the troubled economic landscape of recent years across Europe. This is having an effect on staffing and training, and upgrading of existing equipment. It is interesting that only 10% of respondents believe equipment available on the market serves current Search and Rescue needs - so the problem essentially lies in organisations having the funds available to upgrade.