As the weather begins to warm up, more and more people are flooding to the water for boating, sailing and kayaking activities, but just how prepared are you if something goes wrong?
Marine Rescue is a volunteer organisation dedicated to keeping people safe on the water in Sydney and the greater New South Wales region. To help prepare people for any trouble they might encounter, the organisation is hosting an open day.
“Marine Safety is vitally important all over New South Wales. Depending on where you’re from, we have bases up and down the East Coast. We also have Alpine and river bases,” Marine Rescue Senior Crew Volunteer and Lane Cove Local David Beeforth told ITC.
“[On the open day] we’ll be doing demonstrations, you’ll be able to explore the boats, explore our base, chat to the crew. We’ll have radio demonstrations, and just getting a general feel for what the day to day life of a rescue crew is all about.”
The program will include flare firing, CPR and AED demonstrations, a vessel rescue simulation, MAYDAY distress call training and lifejacket safety and servicing, among other essential skills to know if you’re ever in a distress situation.
Lane Cove is surrounded by the Lane Cove River, where locals love to partake in various recreational activities, from SUP boarding to fishing to kayaking. However, no matter the experience, accidents can happen to anyone. With the closest Marine Rescue bases being the Middle Harbour and Port Jackson locations, it is beneficial to know precisely what to do while the rescue arrives.
If you want to learn even more about marine safety or have a passion for helping others, Marine Rescue also welcomes volunteers with open arms.
“We’re always in need of volunteers. So not just our base at Middle Harbour, but our bases at Port Jackson, up in the Pittwater down on the southern side of Sydney as well. We’re always looking for people willing to help out and join the Marine Rescue,” David said.
“It’s a pretty easy process, you apply, we train you up to be crew, and you can apply for either crew roles, like on the boats, or radio operator roles up in our Sydney communication centre up in Belrose… It takes, on average, probably about a year from when you sign up to when you become what we call a competent crew.
“I’m actually not the only member from Lane Cove. We’ve got four current members in both boat crews and support roles who all live in the area.”
If you’re interested in checking out the Marine Rescue open day you can get your free tickets here. It will be held at their Middle Harbour base from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Sunday, 19 October.
In the meantime, here are some quick and easy safety tips to remember while out on the water.
“Wear a life jacket if you’re heading off, always log on with Marine Rescue. Just be safe and take it easy out there,” David shared.
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