First RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector Operational In Spain

Pompièrs Emergéncies S.L.U, Val d’Aran, is the first search and rescue organization operational in Spain featuring the innovative RECCO SAR helicopter detector. The detector will be used to search for missing people in the outdoors year-round.

Many Search & Rescue teams in Spain are equipped with handheld RECCO detectors for avalanche rescue, however, this is the first time the RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector system is operational in the country of Spain.

”Until now we’ve had the handheld RECCO detector that allowed us to search on foot. With the addition of the RECCO SAR helicopter detector, which is placed under the helicopter, we’ve made an important step forward, allowing search missions to be carried out faster in a wider area. This tool can be used both during summer and winter, to look for missing people in the outdoors and buried avalanche victims,” says Juanmi Riu, responsible for the mountain rescue group in Val d’Aran.

The RECCO SAR Helicopter Detector can quickly search large areas, covering 1 km2 within 6 minutes. Besides shortening search times, the helicopter-based detector can reduce the time and the exposure to risk for rescue workers during search missions.

“Adding Spain to the list of RECCO SAR equipped countries is a real milestone for us. The country is known for its widespread range of outdoor activities year-round, such as hiking, biking, rock climbing and skiing. These are all activities where our goal is to help the rescue community in case of an accident, by making more people searchable,” says Fredrik Steinwall, CEO at RECCO.

Currently there are 31 RECCO SAR Helicopter Detectors globally, with 11 in North America and 20 units deployed across Europe. In addition to Spain, the latest deployments include Colorado Highland Helicopters (USA), Helico Secours (Canada) and HeliAir (Sweden).