Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service
UK military rescue team / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service (RAFMRS) provides the United Kingdom military's only all-weather search and rescue asset for the United Kingdom. Royal Air Force (RAF) mountain rescue teams (MRTs) were first organised during World War II to rescue aircrew from the large number of military aircraft crashes then occurring due to navigational errors in conjunction with bad weather and resulting poor visibility when flying in the vicinity of high ground. The practice at the time was to organise ad-hoc rescue parties from station medical sections and other ground personnel.
RAF Mountain Rescue Service | |
---|---|
Active | 1943 – present |
Country | United Kingdom |
Branch | Royal Air Force |
Type | Search and rescue organisation |
Role | Mountain rescue |
Size | Headquarters and three teams |
Part of | No. 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing |
Home stations | |
Motto(s) | Whensoever |
Experience demonstrated that this could be dangerous. While the mountains of the United Kingdom are not very tall, they contain much formerly glaciated terrain with steep cliffs, talus slopes, high peaks, and cirque basins; and generally experience a sub-Arctic climate at relatively low altitudes. Snow and high winds, sometimes in excess of 100 miles per hour (161 kilometres per hour), are possible any month of the year. Rescue operations in these conditions require personnel with specialised mountaineering training and equipment.
The Royal Air Force mountain rescue teams are credited with some of the earliest development of mountain rescue techniques and teams in the United Kingdom and overseas. RAFMRS teams continue to contribute to life-saving and mountain safety.[1] Since the closure of military search and rescue (helicopter), RAFMRS moved from 2 Group to the newly reformed 38 Group in 2015 until its disbandment in 2020, and has now direct oversight by No. 85 (Expeditionary Logistics) Wing RAF.