Inside the Control Room: Aeronautical Operations Team

It’s a familiar sight: a vibrant red and white craft glimmering in the sunlight, cutting across the skies with rotors roaring as it passes overhead. And as part of HM Coastguard’s aeronautical fleet, the HM Coastguard Rescue Helicopter can be called into action 24/7 to assist the emergency service in its mission to search, to rescue and to save.

Running a fleet of state-of-the-art air assets is neither simple nor easy, but the job falls to a group of skilled aeronautical professionals based in Aeronautical Rescue at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Fareham, Hampshire (JRCC-AR), HM Coastguard’s Senior Aeronautical Operations Officers. 

SAOOs are headed by four Team Leaders, and the team’s constant work ensures that Coastguard Helicopters are ready to respond to a huge breadth and variety of callouts, from search and rescue taskings to counter pollution surveillance. 

Team Leader Casey Foot says: “In the Ops Room, we liaise with stakeholders including Police, Fire, Ambulance, Maritime Coastguard and Distress and Diversion (D&D), who’re based in National Air Traffic Services at Swanwick. We receive both civilian and military requests for air support within the UK search and rescue region (UKSRR), which covers the UK EEZ and out to about halfway across the Atlantic.” 

Taskings could be as varied as ambulance service colleagues requesting assistance with a road traffic collision in a rural area, or a Mountain Rescue Team requesting a medical evacuation in a remote area such as Ben Nevis in poor weather conditions. 

“People always imagine us responding to maritime incidents, a boat sinking for example, but our remit is far wider and can also include surveillance taskings for fixed wing aircraft in our fleet that could be looking for instances of pollution at sea, or even missing persons in remote inland areas.”

During an incident, the aeronautical team liaise with officers across the Operations Room itself, including Maritime Operations colleagues, who coordinate HM Coastguard’s emergency response. 

The team are on hand to provide detailed aeronautical support, including essential ‘endurance’ updates: the amount of time that aerial activity can be sustained before crews must return to base.

Casey’s work with HM Coastguard began after a stint working in a Police Control Room, where she built up a raft of communication skills. After hearing about a friend’s work at the JRCC-AR she kept a keen eye on coastguard roles, until one came up: Senior Aeronautical Operations Officer (SAOO).

“Working for the Coastguard just sounded amazing from the start, and I really loved being a SAOO, but six years on, I’m now a Team Leader. I just adore my job! We have four watches, which are 12-hour shifts and for me, the work-life balance is fantastic and can’t be beaten. 

Speaking about International Control Room Week, which recognises the work of herself and colleagues at the JRCC-AR, Casey says: “The awareness week is so important because people get to see how our work plays into HM Coastguard’s emergency response, and we really love having people see what we do! 

Paying tribute to fellow colleagues in control rooms across the emergency services, Casey says: “We’re constantly in awe of all professionals that answer emergency calls from those needing help.

“As a team, we don’t interact with the public directly, but we see the work of talented colleagues who’re able to keep people calm while gathering crucial information that can be used to plan and action an emergency response.  

“While we might not be ‘in the field’ or on the helicopter, Control Room staff deploy and support professionals that could very well be rescuing you on your worst day.”