T
he demand for maritime
safety and rescue services
has never been greater. It
may come as a surprise to
many people to learn that
the lion’s share of responsibility for
such services falls on private volunteer
organisations, like the Volunteer Marine
Rescue.
In Queensland, the VMR is an
affiliation of 25 squadrons that operate
along 2700km of coastline from Point
Danger on the state’s southern border
to the remote Gulf of Carpentaria and
Torres Strait. These squadrons provide
front line assistance to boaters in
distress on the water and are dedicatedto the preservation of life at sea. Their
highly professional rescue services are
entirely voluntary and available to the
boating community 24 hours a day,
seven days a week, 365 days a year, with
vessels and crews prepared to go out in
all weather conditions, day or night.
While mechanical, electrical and
fuel breakdowns are the most common
problems, many boaters each year are
caught in life-threatening emergencies,
such as capsizing, sinking or catching
on fire. In critical situations, the actions
of these volunteer first responders can
mean the difference between life and
death.
A common misconception aboutthe VMR is that it has powers akin to
the Water Police, Fisheries Inspectors
and Customs. The truth is that it has
no policing role whatever, but often
works in conjunction with various state
authorities and volunteer Coast Guard
on search and rescue, medivac missions
and the provision of first aid to accident
victims. The VMR also maintains a
24-hour radio watch, in which trained
operators monitor a range of VHF
channels for emergency distress calls
and provide a routine voyage tracking
service for vessels cruising in or
through a squadron’s watch zone.
Such is the general framework in
which the VMR Association QueenslandWATER-BASED RECREATION IS AT AN ALL-TIME HIGH, WITH OVER
250,000 REGISTERED BOATS IN QUEENSLAND ALONEC’mon baby, rescue me
STORY & PHOTOS
CHRIS WHITELAW22 trade aboat.com.aunews
feature
THE COMPLETE BOOK OF BOATSVolunteer Marine Rescue