The EWTD is a 'nicety' to observe but it is not a show stopper. What matters is our FTL as laid out by the CAA. We do get quite close to that limit if you work 8 shifts per month with a night call out, where it becomes a 24 hr duty period.
Crab how many fitness tests do you do? When I was serving fitness tests were generally annual events as was your Annual PWT, WHT, etc. However what people did get time off for was daily Fiz, time for expeds and adventurous training, and of course 'personal admin'.
A major problem with the RAF SAR world was that once you were in it you rarely left it, and therefore with the exception of a quick few weeks hop down south, they didn't deploy. Bouncing from one flight to another isn't really what the mil is about, so civilianisation is the right option.
Whoever suggested i had a gripe with the military could not be further from the truth, but when you leave something, then take a closer look at how it really is, then you tend to see its flaws and weaknesses.