SARAA - Search and Rescue Aerial Association

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SARAA - Search and Rescue Aerial Association

A Charity established in 2018 with the aim of facilitating the use of UAS (drones) within Scottish Mountain Rescue.

Located across Scotland, our pilots are all members of Mountain Rescue Teams and we are a member team of Scottish Mountain Rescue.

04/06/2026

On International Volunteer Week we would thank all of our pilots and those that support us for committing so much time and effort into the vital work that we do. Our volunteers are on call 24/7/365 in addition to the many hours it takes to keep flight, search and mountain skills current. If you’d like to support the lifesaving work we do, please donate. Scottish Mountain Rescue

03/06/2026

Our pilots have to maintain their flying and search skills in the daytime as well as at night. The video shows some recent night training using thermal imagery and spotlights which are essential. SARAA - Scotland is a volunteer-led charity that relies entirely on public support to keep our teams trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you'd like to support our work, please consider making a donation. Scottish Mountain Rescue

01/06/2026

Some rescues are more unusual than others.

Last Tuesday, two SARAA Scotland pilots from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team and Border Search and Rescue Unit assisted the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service with the rescue of a 500 kg heifer that had fallen into an underground Victorian ice house on a farm in the Scottish Borders.

The animal had fallen through a small hatch at the top of the ice house and was unable to escape.

We were asked whether a drone could be used to investigate conditions inside the structure and help inform rescue options. As the space was too narrow to safely fly a drone, our pilots improvised, removing the drone’s propellers and lowering the powered-on aircraft, with spotlight, through the opening to inspect the interior using the live camera feed.

The drone helped crews identify an old doorway near the base of the structure. Armed with this information, rescuers were able to excavate down to the doorway, creating an escape route for the heifer and bringing an end to the 11 hour rescue.

Among the many unusual aspects of this incident was what we believe to be the first time we've deployed a drone without propellers.

We're delighted that the heifer was rescued safely and would like to thank everyone involved for their teamwork, perseverance, and dedication throughout the operation.

SARAA Scotland is a volunteer-led charity that relies entirely on public support to keep our teams trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you'd like to support our work, please consider making a donation.

Photo credit to Scottish Fire and Rescue Service

Scottish Mountain Rescue

31/05/2026

As a follow-up to our post about SARAA Scotland’s wildfire management support tasking on Friday, here are some photos showing one of our pilots, who is also a member of Border Search and Rescue Unit, supporting gamekeepers, estate workers, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service in the Pentland Hills. The tasking was also supported by another SARAA Scotland pilot who is a member of Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team.

The team was working to identify and control remaining hotspots in an area affected by a wildfire earlier in the week. Using the drone’s thermal imaging camera, our pilots scanned the area to detect hotspots that could potentially reignite as weather conditions and wind direction changed. This enabled estate workers to focus their efforts on extinguishing those areas before they could flare up again.

A drone equipped with a thermal imaging camera is particularly effective for this type of task. It allows large areas to be surveyed quickly and helps those managing the incident focus resources on specific areas of concern that may otherwise be difficult to detect from the ground.

Many thanks to the estate staff for kindly providing these photographs and for their ongoing efforts in managing the aftermath of the wildfire.

SARAA Scotland is a volunteer-led charity, and we rely entirely on public support to keep our team trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation. Every contribution helps ensure we can continue providing this capability in support of emergency services, land managers, and local communities across Scotland.

Scottish Mountain Rescue

30/05/2026

A number of our pilots have been out training today. We are a volunteer-led charity and rely entirely on public support to keep our team trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation. https://www.justgiving.com/charity/SARAAScotland Scottish Mountain Rescue

29/05/2026

SARAA - Scotland responded to a callout today to assist Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and estate staff to check for hotspots at a recent wildfire.

SARAA-Scotland is a volunteer-led charity, and we rely entirely on public support to keep our team trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation. https://www.justgiving.com/charity/SARAAScotland Scottish Mountain Rescue

25/05/2026

Yesterday our team responded to a callout for a missing walker in the Ben Lawers area working alongside Tayside Mountain Rescue Team Police Scotland Tayside Royal Air Force Mountain Rescue Service Search & Rescue Dog Association (Scotland) SARDA Southern Scotland Scottish Mountain Rescue Killin Mountain Rescue Team. Unfortunately a body was recovered later in the day. Our thoughts are with the family and friends.

24/05/2026

A busy weekend for a number of our pilots carrying out training flights and on a callout. SARAA-Scotland is a volunteer-led charity, and we rely entirely on public support to keep our team trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed. If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation.https://www.justgiving.com/charity/ Scottish Mountain Rescue

11/05/2026

SARAA-Scotland pilots from Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team and Border Search and Rescue Unit were out last night sharpening their flight skills ahead of their upcoming GVC flight assessments.

Successfully completing these assessments will allow them to operate drones in more complex environments, helping to provide even greater support during search and rescue operations.

SARAA-Scotland is a volunteer-led charity, and we rely entirely on public support to keep our teams trained, equipped, and ready to deploy when needed.

If you would like to support our work, please consider making a donation. Every contribution, no matter the size, makes a real difference and helps us continue supporting search and rescue teams across Scotland.

Fundraising link in the comments.

02/05/2026

A number of our team members attended The UK Emergency Robotics Responders Organisation Summit 26 at the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service Training Academy. Our Secretary and former Team Leader presented on the development of search methods using Artificial Intelligence and Anomaly Analysis software. Scottish Mountain Rescue

Address

Chair@saraa-scotland. Org. Uk
Castle Douglas
DG7

Website

https://saraa-scotland.org.uk/

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