SAR comes under the direct remit of the DfT and ipso facto the CAA - as do all State (aviation) activities other than the military.
EASA do not (yet) have a dog in this fight.
As with others, I cannot believe the amount of unadulterated nonsense that is being spouted on this thread. If this is indicative of the level of knowledge (of civil aviation practices) possessed by the average SAR pilot, they have quite a lot of catching up to do.
Jim