Bristow Conducts Successful UK SAR Winch Paramedic Selection Event

Bristow’s UK SAR team conducted a successful SAR Winch Paramedic selection event at Fleetwood Nautical College in May 2022, continuing its long history of innovation and excellence in aviation.

The innovative program used a nationwide recruitment effort that solicited almost 300 applicants in late January from across the United Kingdom to apply for the UK SAR Winch Paramedic cadet class for 2022. Candidates went through a two-day selection earlier this month where Bristow’s SAR Technical Crew experts and Human Resources were able to narrow the field down to 24 potential SAR Winch Paramedics who joined the Bristow team at Fleetwood. 

After completing all of the necessary medical examinations, two cohorts of 12 faced a series of challenging tasks to secure a much sought-after position as a Bristow SAR Technical Crew Cadet.

Prospective cadets conducted numerous gym-based fitness assessments, before moving to the pool to complete a series of rigorous trials to demonstrate ability and potential suitability for the cadet training program. Individual paramedicine ability was thoroughly evaluated through a number of classroom and scenario based medical moulages, before concluding with a recruitment interview where candidates were questioned by the SAR Technical Crew Manager and the Chief Technical Crew Standards.

This third selection event builds on the lessons of the previous intakes, enabling the cadre of Technical Crew Instructors who support the activity to increase their knowledge, which in turn builds on the probability of success for the Winch Paramedic cadets when they reach their Bristow SAR base for operational training.

The overall success of the Bristow SAR Winch Paramedic pathway can be measured in the operational performances of the graduated cadets from the first two classes – all of whom have integrated seamlessly into the UK SAR team, while bringing significant clinical experience.

“The Bristow SAR Technical Crew team who first envisioned, then created the Bristow SAR Winch Paramedic pathway embody our core values in setting, achieving, and maintaining the highest standards in everything that they do. These cadets must meet an extremely high level of physical fitness, stamina and emotional resilience, to meet the challenges of SAR operations,” said UK SAR Director Neil Ebberson. “Thanks to their collective commitment, the future for the Bristow SAR Winch Paramedic cadre looks very bright.”

The successful applicants from the 24 candidates will begin training in the summer of 2022, before being assigned to their first operational SAR bases.