osb,
The issue of overweight casualties was raised by the Noggies at the IntSAR competition in 1972; the exchange of ideas and experiences by all NATO SAR operators was as much an outcome of the IntSAR as the competition itself. During the conference the problem of hypothermic casualties was also raised with the results that you mention, albeit some years apart. Larger strops were certainly due to the shared experiences of IntSAR.
It's all a learning experience, but sadly some lessons have to be 're-learnt' over the years.