Al-bert,
Nope, never on SAR helicopters, (never chopped...) a mere FJ type for my 2 tours. And now there is NOBODY in the military on SAR helicopters!
From what you describe it must have been a unique military existence, quite attractive actually, if you consider my original rather whinny post then the sort of flying you describe and the involvement and effort involved was what I was looking for. Apart from the shift work of course...