Careful. If you demonstrate an unreasonable appetite for risk, you will be unemployable.
Thanks for the reply but I think you don't get what I am after. I don't have an unreasonable appetite for risk. I just want a job that really combines being a rescuer and a paramedic. With this topic I am trying to find out if there are any jobs out there that really split those two 50/50.
Copterhead - it sounds like you need to look at the Canadian military SAR technicians' job - they are free-fall, mountaineer, diver, rescue swimmer, survival expert, winchman and all-round tough guy rolled into one.
I am dutch so that won't be an option. Thanks for the reply though.
All I can say on the fact is having worked as a part time winchman on Lynx helicopters in FAA, it can get hairy enough at the end of the wire never mind being in the deep blue yonder without the bleedin wire attached to me espcially somewhere like near the Portland Races, North Sea or Bay of Biscuits.
Thanks for the reply mate. I guess you are right. Being on the wire is enough and the choice between rescue swimmer or winchman is just a matter of taste. One isn't better than the other. But I still want to find a company within europe that uses rescue swimmers instead of winchmen.
About the dutch navy sar, that is a part time function just like you did. That means I'd have to find another job within the navy that I can combine with being a winchman. And I don't really want a job in the navy except for that one. So I better try my luck in the civilian life.
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Meanwhile I have found something interesting.
It seems that "Priority 1 air rescue" has recently opened a badass training center in arizona where they offer SAR training to companies (
Priority 1 Air Rescue SART/TAC Fully Operational | Priority 1 Air Rescue | Air & Helicopter Search and Rescue) . One of the courses they offer is the "rescue swimmer course" in wich they teach the exact same methods for rescue swimming that are used by the USCG and US navy (
Era and Priority 1 Air Rescue establish JV SAR training centre | Helihub - the Helicopter Industry Data Source).
And here comes the interesting part, they are opening another school "within the european union" this year too. That would mean that they will teach rescue swimmer methods to european companies. This could lead to a change in european SAR operations for some companies. I haven't found where and when they will open the school in europe yet. But it will open this year so we'll what happens after.