UK SARH statistics released
UK public sector information website GOV.UK has released statistics and data about the number of civilian search and rescue helicopter (SARH) activity in the UK between October and December 2018.
UK public sector information website GOV.UK has released statistics and data about the number of civilian search and rescue helicopter (SARH) activity in the UK between October and December 2018.
Data shows that there were 515 civilian SARH taskings for the period, the majority of which were in Lee-On-Solent (75), located in Hampshire on the southeast coast of England; followed by 65 in Prestwick, Scotland, and 62 in Newquay, Cornwall. In juxtaposition, the Stornoway base in northern Scotland responded to only 19 taskings, the least out of all 10 UK bases. These statistics are also strikingly similar to those of the same period (Oct – Dec) in 2017: there were 523 civilian SARH taskings, and again, Stornoway responded to the least (22), while Prestwick, Lee-On-Solent and St. Athan (in Wales) responded to 75, 68 and 65 taskings respectively.
The statistics also highlighted that land-based taskings accounted for 55 per cent of SARH activity in the 2018 period; coastal-based accounted for 30 per cent; and the remaining 15 per cent of taskings were maritime. Again, figures echoed those of the previous year, where land accounted for 54 per cent, coast, 32 per cent, and maritime, 14 per cent.
Two hundred and twenty-one taskings involved rescue and recovery in the final three months of 2018, and the data found that, in total, 377 people were rescued and 40 were assisted across all 515 of the taskings for this period. In the same period of 2017, rescue recovery also accounted for the most taskings, with 239 in total.
To view more statistics for SARH activity between April 2015 and December 2018, visit the UK Search and Rescue Helicopter Statistics page of the GOV.UK website.