Yes a civilian SAR service will be cheaper because all the crews will ex RAF/RN requiring no training but when these people retire and the successful bidder needs to train staff with no previous experience and with all the associated costs it will be interesting to see if they are "cost effective".
I wonder why apart from a few exceptions most nations believe that a military SAR service is the best option or has everyone else got it wrong?
As the UK actually builds a helicopter that is used around the world for SAR - Merlin, what does it tell potential customers if the UK operates Sikorsky or Eurocopter helicopters.
The US uses full time reservist -why can't the UK?