Search and Rescue Policy and Usage

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Dear Mr Evans

 

Further to your email dated 5^th February 2025, please find the Trust’s
response below.  Your request has been allocated the following reference:
01/FOI/25/001596, please could you quote this reference in any future
correspondence with the Trust.

 

Please share your policy regarding the callout of UKSAR assets (eg HMCG air and coastal assets, Mountain Rescue, Lowland Rescue, Cave Rescue).

Please see the attached Standard Operating Procedure for water incidents and the Coastguard.

 

The Trust has redacted the contact numbers for the Coastguard under exemption s.24 of the Freedom of Information Act in this document.

Section 24 National Security:

(1) Information which does not fall within section 23(1) is exempt information if exemption from section 1(1)(b) is required for the purpose of safeguarding national security

Releasing this information would risk disclosing to those who may wish to contact the Coastguard for malicious purposes, and as a result, divert the time and resources of the Coastguard away from those in need.

As section 24(1) is a qualified exemption, the Trust has gone on to consider the public interest in this case. The Trust accepts that there is a public interest in this case. However, release of these phone numbers could put the lives of the public, as well as Coastguard staff themselves at risk. Therefore, on the balance the Trust considers that the public interest in favour of disclosure is outweighed by the public interest in favour of maintaining the exemption.

 

 

Over the two years to 31 Dec 2024, please share the number of times UKSAR assets from each organisation listed (HMCG air and coastal assets, Mountain Rescue, Lowland Rescue, Cave Rescue) were utilised, listed by each operational division/locality.

As the Trust does not have resource types recorded for these organisations
to locate and collate this data would require a manual search of our
records.  We have determined that this would take over the 18 hours laid
down in the Freedom of Information Act, therefore the Trust is applying
exemption to this part of your request.

 

We would advise that you contact the relevant organisations directly for
this data.

 

 

I am obliged to advise you that if you are dissatisfied with the Trust’s
response to your request you have a right to complain to the Trust and
should set out your concerns to the Freedom of Information Officer, EEAST,
Hospital Approach, Broomfield, Chelmsford, Essex, CM1 7WS or by email to
[1][East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust request email]. If you
remain dissatisfied following this, you have a right under Section 50 of
the FOIA to seek a determination from the Information Commissioner on
whether the Act has been properly applied by the Trust. For more
information, please see [2]www.ico.gov.uk/

 

Under the Accessible Information Standard the Trust is required to ask our
FoI applicants equality and diversity questions. You are under no
obligation; however we would be grateful if you could complete the form
attached and email this back to us.

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me should you require any further
information.

 

Kind regards

 

FoI Officer

East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust

 

Email: [3][East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust request email]

 

A black screen with blue and white text Description automatically
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From: Mr Evans <[FOI #1233809 email]>
Sent: 05 February 2025 15:37
To: FOI <[East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust request email]>
Subject: Re: Freedom of Information request - Search and Rescue Policy and
Usage

 

 

Dear East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust,

 

Thank you for your acknowledgment.

 

Please amend my request as follows:

 

In the last paragraph, I requested the number of times assets "were utilised by EMAS". Please ignore this reference to EMAS, as so:

 

Please share your policy regarding the callout of UKSAR assets (eg HMCG air and coastal assets, Mountain Rescue, Lowland Rescue, Cave Rescue).

 

Over the two years to 31 Dec 2024, please share the number of times UKSAR assets from each organisation listed (HMCG air and coastal assets, Mountain Rescue, Lowland Rescue, Cave Rescue) were utilised, listed by each operational division/locality.

 

Yours faithfully,

 

Mr Evans

 

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