Inaer Spain has held a selection process for its SAR unit at the Jovellanos Maritime Security Centre in Gijón. The process lasted four days and convened over 100 hopefuls deemed to be in top physical and mental condition.

The sea rescuers from Inaer are part of the SAR crew in helicopters and are responsible mainly for the search and rescue operations of shipwrecked victims.

Successful candidates during this first phase, which included physical, specific knowledge and competency tests as well as a personal interview, are to join a career path with Inaer during the next nine months.

“We evaluate both the physical state of the candidates as well as their capacity to confront complicated situations during their missions to save people,” remarks Alberto Aparicio, head of crane operators and rescuers at Inaer Spain.

“The excellent physical state of rescuers is an indispensable requisite to successfully carry out search and rescuce operations, often out in the open sea with adverse climate conditions.”