MD & Chief Engineer
Brief info
Our MD and Chief Engineer is Chris Beer, a qualified marine engineer and search team lead. Chris has been a search tech, team lead, medic, flood first responder and the boat team lead at Kent Search and Rescue for nearly 7 years. He established the KSAR Underwater Search team in 2019 and has led the team at nearly 60 underwater searches, in 7 different policing areas of the UK. Chris has undertaken training in the UK and US and has trained 4 regional underwater search teams on sonar and ROV usage as well as search planning, risk assessment and ops.
In his personal life Chris has previously worked on expeditions in Borneo, Greenland, Tibet and as an expedition leader, driving overland trucks to Kathmandu.
He trained as a marine engineering Officer with Shell Tankers, before establishing and running a successful whale and dolphin research organisation, tracking and photographing sperm whales around the Azores archipelago.
Chris developed SARSUB after a chance remark by a Fire and Rescue colleague, who suggested affordable ROVs should be available commercially, having seen the KSAR ROV.
Chris holds a certificate of recognition for his outstanding contribution to the police service and UK search communities, from the College of Policing and the Queens Platinum Jubillee and Kings Charles III Coronation medals, as well as the KSAR Chairmans award for his work.