South African Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue Act, 2002

Regulations

South African Maritime and Aeronautical Search and Rescue (SASAR) Regulations, 2016

Part 1 : Introductory

1. Definitions

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In these regulations any word or expression given a meaning in the Act has the meaning so given and, unless the context indicates otherwise—

 

"aircraft co-ordinator" (ACO)

means a person or team who co-ordinates the involvement of multiple aircraft in SAR operations in support of the SAR mission co-ordinator and on scene co-ordinator;

 

"alert phase"

means a situation wherein apprehension exists as to the safety of an aircraft or marine vessel and its occupants;

 

"alerting post"

means any facility intended to serve as an intermediary between a person reporting an emergency and a rescue co-ordination centre or rescue sub-centre;

 

"ARCC"

means aeronautical rescue co-ordination centre;

 

"area control centre" (ACC)

means an air traffic control facility primarily responsible for providing ATC services to IFR aircraft in controlled areas under its jurisdiction;

 

"captain"

means a Master of ship or pilot-in-command of an aircraft, commanding officer of a warship or an operator of any other vessels;

 

"coast earth station" (CES)

means an Inmarsat shore-based station linking ship earth station with terrestrial communication networks;

 

"cospas-sarsat system"

means a satellite system designed to detect distress beacons transmitting on the frequencies 406 MHz;

 

"craft"

means any air or sea-surface vehicle, or submersible of any kind or size;

 

"director"

means the Director for Civil Aviation,

 

"distress phase"

means a situation wherein there is reasonable certainty that a vessel or other craft, including an aircraft or a person, is threatened by grave and imminent danger and require immediate assistance;

 

"ditching"

means forced landing of an aircraft on water;

 

"emergency Locator Transmitter (ELT)"

means an aeronautical radio distress beacon for alerting and transmitting homing signals;

 

"emergency phase"

means a generic term meaning, as the case may be uncertainty phase, alert phase or distress phase;

 

"emergency position indicating radio beacon"

means a device, usually carried aboard marine craft, that transmits a signal that alerts search and rescue authorities and enables rescue units to locate the scene of the distress;

 

"Flight Information centre (FIC)"

means a unit established for flight information and alerting services;

 

"flight information region"

means airspace of defined dimensions within which flight information service and alerting services are provided;

 

"global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS)"

means a global communications service based upon automated systems. both satellite-based and terrestrial, to provide distress alerting and promulgation of maritime safety information for mariners;

 

"harbour master"

means a person designated as the official to exercise authority over operations at a port as defined in section 1 of the National Ports Act, 2005 (Act No. 12 of 2005);

 

"Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre (JRCC)"

means a rescue coordination centre responsible for both aeronautical and maritime search and rescue incidents;

 

"MRCC"

means maritime rescue co-ordination centre;

 

"national SAR plan"

means comprehensive policy guideline on how SAR services will be organized, provided and managed within the search and rescue region:

 

"on-scene co-ordinator"

means a person designated to co-ordinate SAR operations within a specified area;

 

"operator"

means a person, organization or enterprise engaged in or offering to engage in an aircraft operation;

 

"personal locator beacon"

means a personal radio distress beacon for alerting and transmitting homing signals;

 

"pilot-in-command"

means the pilot designated by the operator or in the case of general aviation, the owner, as being in command and charged with the safe conduct of a flight;

 

"RCC"

means Rescue Co-ordination Centre as defined in section 1 of the Act;

 

"RCC Chief"

means one or more persons within an administration with overall responsibility for establishing and providing operational SAR services and ensuring that planning for those services is properly co-ordinated;

 

"RSC"

means rescue Sub-centre as defined in section 1 of the Act.

 

"SAR"

means search and rescue;

 

"SAR operational plan"

means a detailed plan formulating the basis of search and rescue operations;

 

"search"

means an operation normally co-ordinated by a rescue coordination centre or rescue sub-centre, using available personnel and facilities to locate persons in distress;

 

"search and rescue aircraft"

means an aircraft provided with specialised equipment suitable for the efficient conduct of search and rescue missions;

 

"search and rescue facility"

means any mobile resource, including designated search and rescue units, used to conduct search and rescue operations;

 

"search and rescue occurrence"

means any event associated with the policy, practices, procedures, training, co-ordination or conduct of SAR operations that could create a hazard to the safety of search and rescue operations or seriously compromise the provision of search and rescue services:

 

"search and rescue service"

means the performance of distress monitoring, communication, co-ordination and search and rescue functions, initial medical assistance or medical evacuation, through the use of public and private resources, including cooperating aircraft, vessels and other craft and installations;

 

"situation report (SITREP)"

means reports from the OSC to the SMC or the SMC to interested agencies to keep them informed on on-scene conditions and mission progress;

 

"SAR mission co-ordinator"

means an official temporarily assigned to co-ordinate response to an actual or apparent distress situation;

 

"search and rescue unit"

means a unit composed of trained personnel and provided with equipment suitable for the expeditious conduct of SAR operations;

 

"search and rescue region"

means a region as defined in section 1 of the Act.

 

"search and rescue sub-region"

means a specified area within an SRR associated with a Rescue Sub-centre;

 

"uncertainty phase"

means a situation wherein uncertainty exists as to the safety of an aircraft or marine vessel. and of the persons on board.