An interesting (no doubt controversial!) viewpoint from Major Jean Laroux, 103 SAR Sqn commander for the RCAF interviewed in May's edition of Airmed & rescue;
Some countries augment their SAR provision through contracts with private operators. Do you ever see that happening in Canada?
"I think the private operators are filling a need in those countries and I respect them very much. I truly think that private operators like Bristow in the UK have integrated the SAR community at a level above a simple business plan. It becomes apparent to me that they have a desire to make a difference around them. Having said that, the military is a different machine. We are here to provide the best SAR services to Canadians. The military machine is definitely more robust in risk management, which makes us an operationally focused organisation. The armed forces are built to take and manage risk. Our SAR forces are required to operate at the edge of their capabilities in order to safely and effectively respond when lives of our citizens are at stake. The government is giving the RCAF the equipment and most importantly the aircrews, to train every day and every night to prepare us for every eventuality. I think military SAR will always have the upper hand just because of our ability to constantly train. The military ethos makes us serve above and beyond our job description."
Of course, his stance will always be somewhat biased but I thought his views on risk and training were interesting. Is the military approach better or just different?