Techpilot- Mlitary SAR in the Uk have saved thousands of lives by this method. The scenario you speak of, ie: broken bones ecetera is not the way we would recover a casualty. We would use a stretcher and a highline to stabilise the strecher as it was winched to the aircraft. The NATO strop is a very good piece of rescue equipment when used by properly trained crew, which in this case would be the helicopter winchman. The MRT are not involved in placing strops around casualties, it is the responsibity of the winchman. The NATO strop is also well designed for sea rescue where minimum time is spent in the water. I suspect as well as CRAB was trying to say is that the MRT did not accidently fall out of the strop. It is very difficult to do that, unless you want to. I have been in involved in mountain rescue for 25 years, so I am confident of the NATO strop and have never had a problem, and Im not aware of the concerns you have mention in Europe.