Rescue Disciplines

Specialist Emergency Response Across Land and Water.

Providing Specialist Search and Rescue Services 24/7

SARA (Severn Area Rescue Association) is a multi-disciplinary volunteer rescue organization, providing specialized emergency services across the Severn, Wye, and Usk. We work in close partnership with the Coastguard, Police, and Fire & Rescue Services to respond to life-threatening situations on land, water, and cliffs.

Our Rescue Disciplines

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Lifeboats and Mud Rescue
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Land Search 
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Cliff Rescue
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Inland Water and Flood Rescue

Lifeboats and Mud Rescue

SARA is the designated rescue service for the Rivers Severn, Wye and Usk.  The SARA lifeboats, based at Beachley, Sharpness and Newport are tasked by HM Coastguard, largely in response to 999 calls. The River Severn below Gloucester is used for around 350 commercial ship transits per year.  The Severn also has many leisure craft transits between Gloucester and Sharpness, and between Sharpness and the Bristol Channel.  The tidal range on the Severn at Beachley, and on the Wye at Chepstow, is 15 metres (the second highest in the World!), which means that the river changes within a few hours from a wide expanse of deep water, to narrow shallow channels weaving through extensive sandbanks.  
In addition, the tidal current on the Severn reaches 12 knots, with the fastest flow at Beachley itself; this can lead to very turbulent river conditions in even a moderate wind.

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Most of the way to Gloucester the riverbed is very broad, with a narrow and winding navigable channel, marked with numerous buoys, beacons and transits. The margins of all the tidal rivers have wide and thick mudbanks below the high-tide levels, and in places the exposed mud leads out to rocky islands at low tide.
In addition, the tidal current on the Severn reaches 12 knots, with the fastest flow at Beachley itself; this can lead to very turbulent river conditions in even a moderate wind. Most of the way to Gloucester, the riverbed is very broad, with a narrow and winding navigable channel, marked with numerous buoys, beacons and transits. The margins of all the tidal rivers have wide and thick mudbanks below the high-tide levels, and in places the exposed mud leads out to rocky islands at low tide.

When Every Minute Counts

Typical incidents for SARA include vessels grounding, or losing power hence requiring urgent assistance to avoid grounding.  People have been rescued from islands or ledges where they were being cut off by the tide, or actually plucked from the mud.  On other occasions boats, and other floating hardware, are broken loose by the water and drift with the fast currents and have to be recovered.  On average lifeboats are launched operationally around once a week (50-60 launches per year).

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SARA's declared area of lifeboat operations, for which it is tasked by HM Coastguard, is the Severn, north from a line between Newport and Clevedon to Maisemore Weir near Gloucester, and the tributary rivers Wye (to Bigsweir Bridge), Usk (to the M4 Bridge) and the Avon (to Bristol Docks). If required in exceptional circumstances, SARA Lifeboats can extend beyond this area, using a re-fuelling stop at Newport, to operate north of a line from Barry to Weston Super Mare.
The SARA lifeboats area also features several high bridges – notably the M48 Severn Bridge but also the A48 in Chepstow and several in Newport.  SARA is often called out to a ‘person at risk’ on a bridge.  The majority, but sadly not all, are resolved directly by the Police. However, a lifeboat is always launched so as to be ready. Recoveries are therefore not uncommon, but SARA has successfully rescued people from the water below a bridge.

Land Search 

SARA provides ‘land search’ capabilities, for missing persons, in support of the Police.   SARA works with the Police Forces for Gloucestershire, Herefordshire & Worcestershire (West Mercia Police), and the West Midlands.  These Police Forces request SARA support for ‘Missing Person’ searches in their respective areas, and teams from the various SARA Stations work together as appropriate to the search area location.  
Such missing person searches can range in duration from less than an hour to spanning several days and may become ‘recovery’ rather than rescue operations. 

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SARA is able to deploy one of its two Mobile ‘Incident Control Units’ (ICUs) to support such searches and other operations; searches are managed from the ICU, which is the focus for liaison with the Police and other agencies.  SARA’s MoUs with the Police are to assist with any search, in any terrain, for a vulnerable missing person – including urban searches if required.
SARA is also a member (Associate Member since Jan 2021) of Mountain Rescue England and Wales (MREW).  Generally, MR teams deploy into mountainous environments (or at least challenging ones); in the SARA area the more technical areas would include the Wye Valley, Forest of Dean, Wyre Forest or Cleeve Hill.  In addition, all neighbouring Search & Rescue and Mountain Rescue teams back each other up, providing mutual aide when required.  SARA is frequently involved in operations involving the Wiltshire, Oxfordshire, West Mercia or Longtown teams, and less often Warwickshire, Staffordshire and Central Beacons.     

Cliff Rescue

SARA Beachley is a specific base for the Cliff Rescue in the Lower Wye Valley, where the cliffs around Wintours Leap, Symonds Yat and other walls are a popular destination for climbers of all abilities.  It is estimated that there are 3,000-4,000 climber-days per year in the Lower Wye Valley. There are also a number of disused quarries in the area, in which accidents involving non-climbers happen.

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SARA has an MoU with Gloucester Fire & Rescue Service (GFRS) for effecting cliff rescue operations, and an increasingly close relationship with South Wales FRS (some of the cliffs are on the Welsh side of the Wye).  The SARA rope rescue training is based on Rescue3 qualifications, also used by the Fire and Rescue services which facilitates interoperability.  SARA has in-house Technician-level instructors.
There is a further close relationship with Gloucestershire Cave Rescue Group (GCRG), which also has rope rescue trained personnel and relevant equipment, which are available as required. Conversely SARA is available to provide surface support to cave rescue operations, and indeed is integral to the contingency plans for caves such at ‘Otter Hole’ in the Wye Valley. Rope rescue operations are thankfully rare, but joint exercises are conducted with the FRS and GCRG.

Inland Water and Flood Rescue

SARA is the designated rescue service for the Rivers Severn, Wye and Usk.  The SARA lifeboats, based at Beachley, Sharpness and Newport are tasked by HM Coastguard, largely in response to 999 calls. The River Severn below Gloucester is used for around 350 commercial ship transits per year.  The Severn also has many leisure craft transits between Gloucester and Sharpness, and between Sharpness and the Bristol Channel.  The tidal range on the Severn at Beachley, and on the Wye at Chepstow, is 15 metres (the second highest in the World!), which means that the river changes within a few hours from a wide expanse of deep water, to narrow shallow channels weaving through extensive sandbanks.  

In addition, the tidal current on the Severn reaches 12 knots, with the fastest flow at Beachley itself; this can lead to very turbulent river conditions in even a moderate wind.

Read more

Most of the way to Gloucester the riverbed is very broad, with a narrow and winding navigable channel, marked with numerous buoys, beacons and transits. The margins of all the tidal rivers have wide and thick mudbanks below the high-tide levels, and in places the exposed mud leads out to rocky islands at low tide.

In addition, the tidal current on the Severn reaches 12 knots, with the fastest flow at Beachley itself; this can lead to very turbulent river conditions in even a moderate wind. Most of the way to Gloucester the riverbed is very broad, with a narrow and winding navigable channel, marked with numerous buoys, beacons and transits. The margins of all the tidal rivers have wide and thick mudbanks below the high-tide levels, and in places the exposed mud leads out to rocky islands at low tide.

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The Lifeboat and Rescue Station at Beachley, Chepstow, Monmouthshire, NP16 7HH.
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SARA is a Charity CIO, Registered in England and Wales No 1193634
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