Government grants a boon for Marine Rescue volunteers

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers will benefit from new training equipment and safety gear thanks to more than $28,000 in State Government grants.

Commissioner Stacey Tannos said Police and Emergency Services Minister Michael Gallacher had provided $28,140 in grant funding to support MRNSW volunteers’ work to save lives on the water.

“We are very grateful for this support from the Minister, which will enable us to provide our 3,200 volunteers with a range of new training and safety equipment,” Commissioner Tannos said.

“These grants are welcome recognition of the hard work and commitment of the members of our 45 units along the NSW coastline from Point Danger to Eden and on the Alpine Lakes.”

The Minister has provided Marine Rescue with funding for:

• UV polarised sunglasses for volunteers
• Six rescue mannequins
• Six training EPIRBs and
• Three radio direction finders

Commissioner Tannos said the polarised sunglasses would be supplied as part of the volunteers’ standard uniform, as an important health and safety measure.

“Our volunteers, particularly our boat crews, spend a great deal of time outdoors and the introduction of sunglasses as part of their personal safety equipment will help prevent potential damage to their eyes that can be caused by UV radiation,” he said.

“This funding also will enable us to significantly enhance our specialised Search and Rescue training equipment, which will be of particular use in multi-agency regional Search and Rescue Exercises as well as regular unit training operations.

“As part of this training, the rescue mannequins, fitted with EPIRBs and radio direction finders, are dropped into the water and grid search patterns set for search crews to locate and retrieve them.

“This on-the-water training is essential for our members to hone and maintain the skills that are crucial to a successful emergency rescue operation.”