Good Point Tim
Out here on Fraggle Rock, we have six lifeboats and can call on the air assets in Eire and at Valley. A nice big multi-role machine would suit us nicely, even being able to undertake patient transfers to the UK for specialist treatment (burns, brains etc) We've even built a 3 pad heliport at the new hospital which will take chinooks, I am reliably informed.
Here's one for you.
If the Royal National Lifeboat Institution was to replace the word "Lifeboat" with "Lifesaving (at sea) ", how many boats would be replaced with Helo's?
This isn't decrying their excellent work or extreme bravery, BTW.
BUT - How often can a Helo not get there a darn sight quicker and do what needs doing - saving lives. 100 kts beats 17 kts any day.
I remember the night the Solway Harvester went down in the Irish Sea. I believe the flight time from Valley to locating the SAR Beacon was under 20 minutes. Notwithstanding on that occasion the boat had already sank with all hands, the wx on that night was beyond belief.