Bring back 72 Sqn ..... I should coco.
Within the year the entire public service fleet would be tied up with Crab bureaucracy and costs going off the clock. Whatever happens we need military involvement but we most definately do not need military leadership. The words 'piss-up' and 'brewery' spring to mind.
This does not mean that I don't rate the organisational skills of many miliary men and women - they can be mind-boggelling good - but the baggage they bring is not worth the pain. What we need is a National (Light/Medium) Helicopter Resource with a remit to support Police/Fire/Ambulance services and to augment the SARfleet. Economies of scale achieved by centralised maintenance and bulk purchase will allow every region to have access to appropriate equipment including FTDs/FFS.
I sometimes despair at the way each police force, each ambulance service and each fire service thinks that it is a good, morale-boosting philosophy to do-down the neighbouring forces and talk-up their own version of what's best for Joe-Public. So much energy and so many resources wasted with in-fighting and turf-wars. Roll on the day the Fire and Ambulance services become one, share their magnificent skills and abilities under one roof and get on with the job of serving the public.
A helicopter can do all of these tasks and the pilots likewise and if you want it done properly, on-time and on-cost ASK A CIVVY !!!
CKD
(I had a nightmare where I dreamt that 72 Sqn had a huge fleet of Public Service light twins and became so crabbified that they painted 5 of them Red and formed a display team....... am I going mad or what????)