SAR Torches

When we think about Search & Rescue (SAR) one key piece of team equipment stands out for me at this time of the year, lighting.

This month we’ll have a look at a few different issues and types of personal lighting commonly used across the UKs’ SAR network.

The days of the dim orange bulbed head torches are a distant memory for most of us. You might remember the days of trying to change the standard bulb for a bright halogen one, taking care not to touch the glass & forgetting that battery time was almost zero on full power.

Scroll forwards a few years and LED technology has taken SAR lighting to another level.

Theres a multitude of LED personal helmet & headtorch options out there. Ranging from pennies to £100’s.

Here are a few of my personal favorites.

At 1000 lumens the LEDLENSER H7 Rechargeable is a good allrounder, not too heavy but with plenty of light and mode options.

A great light weight personal light packing an incredible 700 Lumens is the new Silva RoughLight 700

It’s a super robust and durable 700-lumens headlamp for professionals. The design is dust-tight and fully waterproof according to IP68. The clever Mag-Snap system lets you detach the lamp easily from the headband and snap it into the included helmet mount or on a metal surface. RoughLight 700 features white light, as well as red and orange LED for close-range work in dark conditions.

Petzl have the Pixar 3, relatively low light output at 100 Lumens, but well suited and very robust / user friendly for working around the casualty. The PIXA 3 headlamp is rugged and versatile. The multi-beam adapts to all situations: close-range work, movement, and long-range vision.

CONSTANT LIGHTING technology: brightness does not decrease gradually as the batteries are drained. It meets ATEX zone 2/22 (II 3 GD Ex nA ic IIB T4 Gc tc IIIC T135°C Dc) certification requirements for work in explosive environments. I really like the way it switches off when you swivel it around to the lens protection setting.

Phenix Fenix HM60R Headlamp, a small rechargeable light with an impressive 1200 Lumens. Light enough to wear for hours at a time, reasonable for searching and excellent underground.

There we have a selection of a few of my favorite SAR lights. One issue we’ve become increasingly aware of is as lights get brighter so does the issue of blinding SAR members and casualties. I’ve concluded that you can’t have one light for every aspect of SAR.

I now use a Phenix head torch for getting to the casualty site, then swap to a Silva Helmlight 300 (Lumens) for working around the casualty site. A nice well spread working light.