'Why do we need rearcrew?'
'Why does a qualified pilot need to keep training?'
'Why can't an NHS paramedic do shifts as a winchman without training - it seems he just hangs there.'
Are these Thomas coupling's consultants that are well versed in SAR doctrine or just the guys that they'll be answering to?
What a balls up this is going to be and as chopabeefer suggests, a balls up that is going to lead to massive corner cutting and the dismantling of a quality of service that has been refined over decades. Where are the winning bidders going to source their personnel from when the drip feed of full-time SAR professionals from the military dries up? Training from scratch is a lengthy process (years, not months) that involves selecting the right people and taking them to their limits of capacity to see how they perform.