In reply to JEF:
As Welsh Kate says, civillian MRTs in the UK are entirely voluntary, staffed by members who give up large amounts of time to provide what in my opinion, is a world class SAR provision. All do it because they can, want to give something back to society, and as outdoor people themselves, recognise that participants in higher risk activities need to be more self reliant as individuals and as a community, than participants in other sports. However these skills are placed at the service of the whole community, and most teams will encounter dog walkers, the elderly, the vulnerable and the unfortunate in many non-mountain incidents.
In the UK this provision is provided free of charge, but it is not free, it costs around £45-100k to keep most teams operational, and teams receive no direct government money. All money is raised by team members and supporters. Individual team members receive no expenses and would prefer not to think about what being a member costs them in kit, fuel, boot leather and batteries.
The helicopter provision comes from the air ambulances which are run by charities, and the bigger helicopters are provided by the taxpayer for all UK search and rescue provision on and off shore. This is privately operated but is free to the user, they are called in by MR when their capabilities (bad weather and night flying, on board access to casualty for ongoing treatment, winching etc) are required. RAF mountain rescue teams are made up of service personnel and will assist if on scene, but are not called to, non military incidents, being there for recovery of military air crashes.
All of this is free, but it is a precious resource, the last resort of the unfortunate rather than first call for the lazy. Initiating a callout means people leaving work, losing income, disrupting plans, burning their own petrol, leaving family meals and losing a nights sleep. All of which will be done happily and without question.
But what really makes it work is the support from husbands and wives, partners, employers, children and friends, it genuinely only operates because of the goodwill and patience of those around the team member.