Something else to keep in mind is that primarily civilan equipment is rarely (if ever) hardened against EMP. Any available spare parts to repair EMP damage is likely to be sent to priority organisations, the military no doubt being very much to top of the food chain.
People might still be available, but without their aircraft, radars, fuel supplies, radios, etc, etc, etc, SAR organisations, at least the air and sea based ones, are almost certainly hamstrung after 1997.
Land based on the other hand, while also suffering heavily from the lack of working communications, are still going to be able to operate albeit at a lesser level than prewar.
I'd imagine personnel from Air and Sea organisations would gravitate towards the military through conscription and volunteering (the latter possibly more likely dus to the usual sense of duty this type of person often has), or simply be absorbed into the land based organisations. Wherever they go, their skills will serve them in good stead and I can see them being used (in the military) in specialist roles rather than say infantry replacements.
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