TorqueOTD,
Hmm - I've heard interesting stories from the area in your profile. No definitive evidence to back it up, but if true then they do the rest of the AAmb community no favours with their approach to the task.
It was with this in mind that I made absolutely sure, on a recent task in Yorkshire where people were trapped on a small island in the middle of a river with water rapidly rising, that the SAR folk really weren't available before we started shuttling them to the safety of the riverbank. Swift-water rescue is not something to be taken lightly, we acknowledge SAR as being by far the most effective method. In this case if we'd delayed any longer these folk would've been in grave danger. Just as we finished the last lift a Seaking arrived overhead (task in the Lake District now complete) and orbited a couple of times before heading home. I rang Leconfield after returning from task to make sure they didn't feel put out; very positive response - I also learned that with only 1 VHF box the SK won't always talk on Scene-of-Search if already chatting to ATC. Worth remembering.
Anyway - back to your point. Your example might not be an isolated incident, but I suspect it may be down to just one operation. The operations I've been involved with certainly don't feel the need to flaunt themselves unnecessarily.