r/searchandrescue • u/Righto13 • 27d ago
Search & Rescue UK & work.
I'd like to join one of my local SAR teams. However I'd like to know how this fits in with a full time job. Does your workplace have to make allowances for SAR volunteers? Do you go straight to work after a night call out or do you go and get some sleep first? I drive a lot for work so have concerns about about doing so tired.
5
u/then_than-man 27d ago edited 27d ago
I'm with a Lowland Rescue team.
Fortunately for me i work 4on 4off.
I only attend callouts in that 4 off, and sometimes get to squeeze in training after work.
I haven't asked my employer what the requirements are to allow me to leave (mostly due to the nature of my job role, i think it would just be a pain in the bum) but i know of a Coastguard member that has an agreement with our employer.
I believe they get docked pay for hours not at work but allow them to leave. Their particular job role is also more convenient for leaving work in a hurry.
I've a few friends that worked for BT and they were allowed a certain amount of time off throughout the year to attend callouts. I don't know what their job role was within BT though.
I personally don't attend callouts or training before going to work as I'll be shattered, which is dangerous for the job i do.
If i worked in an office I'd probably be fine with attempting callouts after work hours (although i suspect I'd struggle like crazy and change that!)
1
u/Righto13 27d ago
Thanks, out of interest. What job do you do? I understand if you don't want to mention it.
1
u/then_than-man 26d ago
Ah that's fine. I work on a shipping container port, i operate the cranes that load the lorries.
3
u/Anytimeisteatime 27d ago
If you work full-time, the team may want to know if your work will allow you to leave work for call outs, and if you also can't go to night shouts because it would be unsafe to work the next day, maybe MRT isn't for you at the moment.
Would your work let you be flexible and start later or move hours around?
Most of my team's current members do either very flexible jobs where they can often drop when to go for a shout (and maybe make up the hours later, maybe not) or they work shift patterns so e.g., 3 x 12hr shift per week, which leaves more days and nights they can respond.
1
u/Righto13 27d ago
Thanks, this is the issue I'm trying to work out. My job is quite flexible, but I'm also in the process of separation with my partner & we have a child, so I am trying to work out the practicalities & see if it's feasible.
6
u/UK_SAR_GUY 27d ago
There's a few things you should take into consideration.
Firstly, if its lowland rescue you want to join (which is what this post is about), then usually they also have fundraising requirements. That means attending on a i.e. Weekend to help out, be it marshalling, holding a bucket at Tesco, manning a stall at a event, etc. There's likely to be a minimum number of these events you'll need to attend within the year - i.e. 6 or 8
Secondly, there's the actual call-outs. Yes, some call outs are only a few hours, but if you are on a find, and you then have to do incident management, and the police cannot get to you for 8 hours, you may not be able to leave. Might be an extreme scenario, but you never know what's going to happen. Typically on call outs, you can tell the SM (Search Manager) what time you need to leave by. So, if its a 9pm call out, you're there for 10pm, tell them you need to leave by 1am for example.
Lastly, don't underestimate the importance and volume of training. ALSAR (national association of lowland rescue) set standards for UK Lowland Rescue groups for your competency's (i.e. manual handling, searcher safety, etc). These need to be refreshed, some every 4 months, some annual, some every 2 years. These are all things that you need to factor into the commitment.
As an example of time commitment, my D4H right now says i'm about 160 hours for this year so far, across training, incidents, exercises and volunteering.
Hope this helps, and doesn't put you off.
If its mountain you're after, I don't have much experience on the Ops side of that.
2
u/FlemFatale 26d ago
This. It is a huge time commitment, and you need to be 100% sure that it is something you want to do.
If I'm at work, I'm off call because I work away from home contracted. If I'm at home, I'm on call. It does mean missing things and being ready to go no matter where you are. It can be a good reason to get out of things that you don't want to do, though!Many people on our team have full time jobs, and for them it ranges from work being cool with it and letting them go when they need to, to being off wlcall during work hours and missing the odd nights sleep from time to time, so it is worth having that conversation with your boss.
They have no obligation to allow you time off, so it's totally up to them. Saying that, if they don't allow you time off, are you willing to go into work having been out all night the previous day? If your answer is a no, then search and rescue may not be for you.
That's totally fine, and I'm sure that you can help out your local team in other ways. We currently have quite a few support members who help out with open days and fundraising and stuff without being active team members (as in, they don't go to callouts or have to do all of the training that the active members do).
2
u/adampetherick 27d ago
We only have requirements for attending a minimum number of training sessions per quarter rather than attending a certain number of callouts. Companies I’ve worked for have sometimes let me finish early and attend a callout but that’s at their discretion rather than a normal thing.
You’d have to make a personal judgement if you’re going to get enough sleep to be able to work but if your job involves driving then maybe an overnight callout would be unsafe to attend.
1
u/Righto13 27d ago
Great idea re location. Im in Bath, so Avon & Somerset is my nearest SAR, but Wiltshire is also very close & Gloucestershire is just up the road.
1
u/renderedpotato 27d ago
My employer lets me leave when its convenient, if I have important meeting I'll book myself offline that morning until they have finished. I get 10 days special leave per year that I can book to my SAR activities. I'm in CG rather than MRT or Lowland Rescue so our shouts are generally shorter.
If i'm called out throught night and I am running on little or no sleep I still go into work and get on with it. It is my choice to be on CG not my employers.
1
u/SeaKing2001 27d ago
I’m part of an MRT, though it’s more of a lowland team. Our tallest peaks are really just slightly steep hills. Most of our shouts involve land, urban or water searches.
Our team is quite flexible. We don’t have a high volume of callouts and we have a good number of active members, including many retired volunteers who are the backbone of the team. For those of us still working, day jobs understandably take priority.
If you can attend a shout, great. If not, that’s completely fine. If you can make it but need to leave partway through, that’s also acceptable as long as it’s communicated. We usually respond directly to the scene in our personal vehicles, which helps with flexibility. Of course, you’re responsible for your own wellbeing and making sure you’re fit to drive. If you need to leave a job early to get some rest before work, just let someone know.
Personally, I work a rotating shift pattern of 2 earlies, 2 lates, 2 nights and 4 days off. I work in the emergency services, so my day job isn’t flexible. I can’t leave work for SAR and often finish late. That said, having four days off in a row works well for SAR so it balances out.
Many of our team members work Monday to Friday full time. Everyone finds a way to make it work. Some have very supportive employers who allow them to leave for shouts, others have to be more selective.
My advice is to reach out to your local SAR team. Each one works a bit differently. I had concerns about whether my shift pattern would be compatible, especially since our training was quite intensive in the first six months. I spoke with the team and they encouraged me to give it a try. That initial period was the hardest. Missing a few training nights could quickly set you back. But once the core training was done, things became much more flexible.
Talk to your local team and your employer about your commitments. There’s usually a way to make it work.
1
u/Ok-Airline-8420 Ocean Rescue. Flood Rescue 26d ago
Depends on your job. I get a 48hour standby alert so I know I might be called within that time. I've arranged with my employer that I may be called out with that much warning, and they take it out of my holiday time.
They also hate that I do this, constantly put pressure on me about it, and only haven't told me 'no' because they know to PR could be not in their favour. I usually take a laptop with me and work during the usual 'hurry up and wait' bits.
If work is super busy then I just say I can't go, and that's fine.
Most people who do this are newly retired or self employed for a reason.
7
u/kernel_mustard 27d ago edited 27d ago
Depends on your employer. Mine is pretty flexible and let's me go early/arrive late and turn up tired as long as I don't take the piss. Some of my colleagues can only do weekends/evenings. Some even less than that. Your employer doesn't have do to anything to help, worth discussing before you do anything.
If I was driving for a living I would really be thinking hard about going to work after a night time callout. I can sit at a desk on 2 hours sleep and get away with that, I'd not want to sit behind the wheel.
Edit: can you share which county you are in? You might be able to find members of your local LR/MR/CG/whatever team to speak to for some actual experiences and expected levels of commitment etc.