International SAR Workshop in Miami
The 10th Annual Search and Rescue (SAR) Workshop for the UK Overseas Territories took place in Miami, Florida, USA, from 4–7 February. One of the aims of the workshop was to share experiences, recognize common challenges and learn from each other
The workshop was facilitated by HM Coastguard and funded by UK Government. Attendees included SAR specialists, airport and aviation authorities and disaster managers from Anguilla, Ascension Island, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, the Falkland Islands, Montserrat, St Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Additional attendees included the Dutch Caribbean, French and US Coast Guard covering the regional response mechanisms and a number of Caribbean neighboring states: Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
Presentations were given by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), Lost & Missing Person Search International, and the Global SAR Hub. Updates on SAR matters were provided by the International Civil Aviation Organization’s (ICAO) Regional Office, and the Joint SAR Working Group of ICAO and the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
Collaboration for mass rescue operations was the key focus and the workshop ran two tabletop exercises: one involving a cruise ship and the other an aviation incident.
The Overseas Territories SAR (OTSAR) Capability Project has been running since 2016 and began with reviews of SAR capabilities within the UK Overseas Territories. Since then, the project has provided equipment and training for SAR operations, operators and frontline responders.
The 11th SAR Workshop is planned again for February next year and returns to Miami.
Recently, Swiss Air-Rescue Rega hosted its 9th Central European Air Rescue Symposium in St Gallen, Switzerland.
Jon Adams
Jon is the Editor of AirMed&Rescue. He was previously Editor for Clinical Medicine and Future Healthcare Journal at the Royal College of Physicians before coming to AirMed&Rescue in November 2022. His favorite helicopter is the Army Air Corps Lynx that he saw his father fly while growing up on Army bases.