LIFE LINE The Newsletter of the International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF)
August 2014 December 2010
December News… Experience… Ideas… Information… Development… 2010 December 2010
In this issue:
the end of an era – see below! the IMRF’s third international conference on mass rescue operations news from Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Africa, the Baltic, Costa Rica, Malta, and the Arctic December and more!
2010
“The lovely Ann” Sometimes people have been involved with an organisation for so long that it seems like they will always be there – but time moves on, and so do people. Ann Laing, a key member of the IMRF Secretariat for so many years, has decided that the time has come to retire. Although she’s obviously far too young to do that really... IMRF Chairman Michael Vlasto takes up the story:
December 2010 December 2010 December 2010
“Ann has been involved with the ILF and latterly the IMRF since 1987. Her dedicated service throughout, both as a volunteer and then as a key member of the Secretariat, has included many tasks, willingly and cheerfully undertaken. She has been the friendly face of support to our ecemready ber membership; the smaller and developing organisations in particular. She was always there andD always to assist people, whatever their problems. She has also worked hard on the development of the 20IMRF’s 10 education strategy, with particular focus on the needs of the younger generation. “Ann has also been a valued friend and colleague during the more difficult times. She will be sadly Demissed cembby er her many friends around the world and particularly by those of us who have worked so closely with her. On 2010 behalf of the entire IMRF family, thank you, Ann, for a job well done. Enjoy your well-deserved retirement.” And so say we all. Ann’s last day in the office will be 5 September – but we are delighted that she will be able ecem ber to join us at the World Maritime Rescue Congress in 2015 so that we can celebrate herDtime, effort, commitment and achievements in the ILF, the IMRF and the world of SAR in general. 2010 The International Maritime Rescue Federation is a registered company limited by guarantee in the United Kingdom and registered as a charity in England and Wales Patron: Efthimios E. Mitropoulos KCMG, IMO Secretary General Emeritus
December 2010
Registered office: IMRF West Quay Road Poole BH15 1HZ United Kingdom Company Registration Number: 4852596 Charity Registration Number: 1100883
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
December 2010
LIFE LINE
August 2014
Editorial Welcome to the latest edition of your newsletter. Once again we have exciting news for you from all over the world. And you may also notice a refreshed look to LIFE LINE: we hope you like it! The IMRF’s latest major event was the third in our ‘Gothenburg series’ of mass rescue conferences, in June: there’s a report of this very successful event on page 3. Now we begin to look forward to the World Maritime Rescue Congress, to be held in Bremerhaven, Germany, 1-4 June 2015. There will be a good deal more about this prestigious gathering, and about the Quadrennial General Meeting of IMRF Members that accompanies it, in our October edition. Watch out for it! In the meantime, keep in touch with developments at www.international-maritimerescue.org. Registration is open. Do not delay! This will be the maritime SAR event of 2015. You need to be there – and we will be very pleased to see you! * As you will have seen from our front page, the IMRF is coming to another of those sad, if inevitable, partings of the ways. Ann Laing, a mainstay of the IMRF for so long, will be retiring in early September. As our Chairman remarks on page 1, she has friends all over the world who will miss her. But if I know anything about Ann or about SAR people, we need not be too sad, for I very much expect that we will hear more from her in future: ‘retirement’ is something SAR folk do not seem to do well. We will look back at Ann’s career in the October edition of LIFE LINE. In the meantime the IMRF, which she has done so much to nurture and support, continues to press ahead in the interests of saving lives in the world’s waters. You can find out about a lot of what we’re up to here in LIFE LINE and there’s always more on the website.
Contents The lovely Ann
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1
Editorial
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2
Dates for the Diary
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2
G3
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3
IMRF MRO experts meet
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4
A Marine Triage System
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5
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6
SAR Matters
Australian Volunteer Marine Rescue
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7
SAR progress in North & West Africa
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8
This one’s for real
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9
Exchange your crew – again! ...................
9
SWEAP
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10
Baltic SAREX 2014
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10
Improving SAR in Costa Rica ...................
11
International exchange
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11
IMRF’s regional meetings
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11
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12
Into the Arctic
Send us your news & pictures
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12
Dates for the Diary ICAO / IMO Joint Working Group on SAR 15-19 September 2014 IMO, London. For details, contact info@imrf.org.uk
IMRF Asia Pacific Regional Meeting
18-19 September 2014
For details, contact info@imrf.org.uk
IMRF Board & SAR Meetings
21-25 September 2014
Vancouver, Canada. For details, contact info@imrf.org.uk
Rescue 2014
17-19 October 2014
Hosted by ICE-SAR in Reykjavik, Iceland. See www.icesar.com/rescue
IMRF European Regional Meeting
30-31 October 2014
Hosted by the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) in IJmuiden. For details, contact info@imrf.org.uk
Enjoy the read! World Maritime Rescue Congress Dave Jardine-Smith news@imrf.org.uk
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
1-4 June 2015
Advance notice of the IMRF’s next Congress and quadrennial general meeting. Look out for more news in the October LIFE LINE!
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August 2014
G3: the IMRF’s third international mass rescue conference
The IMRF have held the third in our series of international mass rescue conferences, continuing the series begun in 2010. Once again the main venue was the fine waterfront headquarters of IMRF Members the Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS). The event was attended by 122 people, representing 72 organisations from 30 countries. Delegates were able to hear from an excellent panel of expert speakers – but IMRF conferences are always about much more than just listening! On this occasion the conference included both a simulated mass rescue operation and the opportunity to participate in an exercise using an ‘ark’-type liferaft, as well as ‘open space’ discussion sessions in which delegates could raise any mass rescue subject they wished. It all made for a lively mix! The simulated MRO took place in the multi-bridge simulation suite at Chalmers University on the Sunday afternoon preceding the main conference. Although primarily intended to help delegates ‘get in the mood’, it also represented a unique and exciting research opportunity – the first time such a simulation has been run anywhere in the world. The exercise development team intend to take the idea further.
At the close of the conference the IMRF made the following statements of intent: We will continue to promote discussion of MROs, to help SAR and supporting organisations prepare for these rare but extremely challenging events We will help SAR agencies raise the profile of MROs, to build support for SAR services and thus improve the safety, security and well-being of people working and travelling by sea We will seek to work closely with the passenger shipping, offshore, and other relevant industries and sectors To these ends we will run mass rescue operations workshops and conferences as and when required and resources permit We will carefully consider the detailed results of this conference We will continue to work closely with the ICAO / IMO Joint Working Group on SAR, considering potential amendments to international regulation and guidance Our subject-matter expert group will continue its work We will launch our MRO reference library at the World Maritime Rescue Congress in Bremerhaven, 1-4 June 2015 The full conference report may be downloaded from our website.
The liferaft exercise saw a good number of delegates boarding using the raft’s chutes. The raft was towed a little way offshore, where SSRS rescue craft demonstrated the water-calming effect of circling it. The delegates then experienced the difficulties of getting out of the raft: a rescue boat had to be used as an intermediary platform.
Keynote addresses were given to the conference by Dan Sten Olsson, owner and CEO of Stena AB (which includes Stena Line, the largest ferry company in the world), and Andrew Winbow, Assistant Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO). Mr Olsson emphasised the importance of learning from each other, while Mr Winbow noted the IMRF’s assistance in IMO’s ongoing development of the global SAR plan. The expert panel of speakers explored various MRO issues. Sirio Faè, of the Italian Coast, gave a full report on the rescue operations following the grounding of the Costa Concordia in 2012. The United States’ Coast Guard’s Paul Culver spoke about the major live exercise ‘Black Swan’, conducted in 2013, for which he was Exercise Director. (continued on page 4)
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
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(continued from page 3)
An important theme of G3 was how SAR services should work with passenger ships – seeing them as SAR resources as well as potential ‘customers’. Hernan Zini, representing IMRF’s fellow NGO at the IMO, Cruise Lines International Association, and Madis Lembit, of Tallink and Silja Lines, reminded delegates that “the ship is the best lifeboat”. They discussed how SAR services and industry can best work together, especially as regards communications and the provision of additional resources to assist masters caught up in emergencies. Zhang Rongjun of the IMRF’s AsiaPacific Regional Centre spoke on the mass rescue challenges in that part of the world, referring especially to the recent Malaysian Airlines and South Korean ferry disasters. The conference then turned to specific consideration of the survival and retrieval phases, with talks by Jörgen Lorén on a rescue conducted by the Stena Saga; Matthew Fader on a liferaft experiment; and – while the delegates were returning from their own ‘liferaft experience’ – a moving and highly informative talk by Mohammad Mobarak Hossain on his 40 hours in the sea in July 2013, during which he was badly injured by ships attempting to pick him up. Chan Kwok-Wai and James Instance, managers of the Hong Kong and Falmouth MRCCs respectively, spoke about mass rescue coordination issues. Chan passed on the lessons learned from the Lamma IV disaster and two cruise ship exercises. James showed how applying lessons learned improves response, citing two mid-Atlantic rescues, beyond the reach of shore-based SAR units and so conducted by merchant ships. A senior emergency planning officer, Steve Scully, discussed the shoreside aspects of MROs, and urged that more www.international-maritime-rescue.org
IMRF MRO experts meet
Md. Mobarak Hossain speaks at G3: survivors’ stories are very important learning opportunities, and have always been a part of the Gothenburg series of conferences. For Mobarak’s story, see LIFE LINE, October 2013
attention be given to the shoreline interface between at-sea and onland response operations. Finally Toni Fohlin reported on the Baltic Sea Maritime Incident Response Survey – Baltic States are clear that they need to work together on MROs, and are seeking ways of improving their coordinated response – and Michael Baldauf of the World Maritime University spoke about integrated simulation-based team training, and how this might be used to prepare for MROs: he emphasised the importance of focussing on the human element in emergencies and emergency response. The subjects raised and discussed by delegates in the ‘open space’ sessions were: o remote area / cold weather MROs o civil / military SAR cooperation o aircraft incidents o communications o recovery at sea o training & preparation o asset management o safety / survival equipment o the ‘capability gap’ o survivor landing & reception
The IMRF has a subject-matter experts group supervising our mass rescue operations project. This includes work on the MRO guidance material which will form the online reference library we are developing for MRO planners and responders. (See LIFE LINE, June 2014, on the IMRF website.) The library will be formally
launched at the World Maritime Rescue Congress in June 2015. Members of the expert group also act as facilitators of the workshops the IMRF provide, to raise awareness and inform discussion of mass rescue issues. Several group members were delegates at G3 (see page 3) and took the opportunity to meet on the morning after the conference. (The great majority of the group’s work is done online.) The group agreed that the three main parts of the IMRF project – conferences, targeted workshops and the reference library – were progressing well. The need to continue to source and supply relevant material for the library was noted: contributions should be sent to the project manager at d.jardinesmith@imrf.org.uk. The group also discussed the particular issues of how best to use ‘vessels of opportunity’ (shipping in the area) in MROs; the On Scene Coordinator role; and the relationship between SAR services and the shipping industry, especially the passenger industry.
The IMRF has recorded the outcomes of these discussions, and of the conference as a whole. You can find the full report at www.internationalmaritime-rescue.org.
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August 2014
A Marine Triage System Jonathan Cornelius of ABSAR writes: The IMO defines a ‘mass rescue operation’ (MRO) as one ‘characterized by the need for immediate response to large numbers of persons in distress, such that the capabilities normally available to the search and rescue authorities are inadequate’. So, how does a small nation with minimal resources respond to and conduct an MRO? In November 2012 Antigua & Barbuda Search and Rescue (ABSAR) was asked to participate in an airport MRO exercise involving an airline crash offshore. In our preparation we realized that we did not have adequate SAR units for such an event. Our challenge was, how to deal with an MRO when the only SAR units available are small boats? We needed a marine-based triage system to help prioritize which persons needed most urgent rescue in order to best utilize our limited capabilities. We began by researching online for a marine triage method, then contacted the IMRF and other agencies for methods already in use. We discovered that no known method existed. So we created our own ABSAR Marine Triage System, using the Simple Triage and Rapid Treatment (START) method as a basis. A preliminary draft was circulated to the IMRF mass rescue operations project working group for feedback. In addition we put together a land-based mass casualty kit that can be moved to a staging area close to the crash site. This allows for secondary triage and treatment of injured persons as they are brought ashore. ABSAR Rescue 1, our 27 foot RIB, has been stationed on a lift at a marine facility near the V.C. Bird International Airport. Subsequently we positioned a large capacity life raft and spare life jackets at this location in order to facilitate responding to a MRO involving an airline crash at sea. On June 4, 2014 we had the opportunity to utilize our system in a simulated aircraft crash. The scenario had a Boeing 737 crash 1 mile offshore with 97 persons aboard. The Antigua Barbuda Defense Force Coast Guard and ABSAR both responded, with the Coast Guard acting as On Scene Coordinator. Both SAR units were utilizing the ABSAR Marine Triage System. The exercise proved that it worked well, allowing us to quickly and easily prioritize the
www.international-maritime-rescue.org
victims we encountered to determine whether they required urgent assistance or not. We have since modified and simplified the protocol, to ensure additional safety of the victims in an MRO scenario. The IMRF says that “during an MRO on-scene support should be provided in priority order: preventing drowning, providing shelter, providing detection aids, providing medical care and sustenance, providing communications. If rescue personnel can be deployed to tend survivors while they await rescue, so much the better.” With these guidelines in mind we propose the following ABSAR Marine Triage System: First on-scene asset deploys life rafts and asks all victims who can, to swim to the nearest raft and wait for assistance: all these will be designated MINOR Pass flotation to all victims unable to swim to life rafts Consider placing a rescuer with a radio in the life raft Consider picking up any victims who are not in groups of 2 or more Victim Assessment o Turn over any face-down victims: not breathing, DECEASED o Respirations more than 30 per minute: IMMEDIATE o Capillary refill over 2 seconds: IMMEDIATE o Unable to follow commands: IMMEDIATE o All others: DELAYED The goal in a MRO is to save as many lives as we can with the resources available at that time. The water environment complicates airway problems through drowning of persons who might still be breathing in a land-based scenario. For this reason, DELAYED victims should be picked up along with the IMMEDIATE victims in order to prevent deterioration. In the marine environment, this method effectively creates three groups: MINOR (those who can swim), IMMEDIATE / DELAYED (those who will be rescued first), and DECEASED victims (those who will be recovered last). The IMMEDIATE and DELAYED victims will go through a second triage once they have been delivered to a place of safety. During this simulated exercise, ABSAR found this method of marine triage to be highly effective in rapidly rescuing all victims and thereby maximizing the use of very limited resources. page 5
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August 2014
SAR Matters This column provides a forum for LIFE LINE readers worldwide to contribute to debate on any relevant SAR issue. Have a look at previous discussions in our Newsletter Archive, online at www.internationalmaritime-rescue.org: every LIFE LINE since 2010 is available there for free download. You can join in the debate by emailing news@imrf.org.uk. It’s good to talk! In this edition we consider
Unmanned craft in SAR We are now well-used to the idea of Remotely Piloted Aircraft, as the International Civil Aviation Organization calls them – otherwise known as ‘Unmanned Aerial Vehicles’, or ‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems’ to highlight the control systems, data links etc integral to their use; or even ‘drones’ (although this term really describes the unsophisticated precursors of the modern RPA). Fixedwing RPAs have long been in military use, and rotary-wing aircraft like the Aeryon Scout pictured are increasingly used for aerial photography and the like. But what of unmanned aircraft – or unmanned craft more generally – in SAR? There are some fairly obvious uses. RPAs are good, it has been said, for ‘dull and dangerous’ work. Well: search can be one, and rescue the other. Let’s look at searching first. Maritime search areas can be large – sometimes very large indeed. They take some covering. There are issues of flight safety, flight endurance, and crew fatigue – both in terms of actual weariness after a long flight and simple boredom: anyone who has been involved in a search knows how difficult it is to keep focus. Bad weather can be a factor – is it safe to fly at all? – and there is often a need to suspend searches, particularly overnight, to rest crews and aircraft. RPAs can no more fly in all weathers than manned aircraft can; but it can be argued that greater risks may be taken with an unmanned aircraft. Military use shows that significant payloads can be carried, and this can include search technology – ‘listening’ for beacons, using infrared to supplement standard cameras, and so on. Some will say, with justification, that real human eyes looking directly at the sea are still the best search aid there is; but, as noted above, the ‘Mark One Eyeball’ gets tired. Operators of RPAs, including their search teams, can be easily rotated during long search flights, to keep them fresh. The RPA is also cheaper to run than a large, manned search aeroplane. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
There are clear advantages to having fixed-wing RPAs in your search toolkit. But how about rescue? That’s more difficult, surely? This depends on what we mean by ‘rescue’, and whether we mean the whole process – retrieval, interim care, and delivery to a place of safety. The writer is not aware of any unmanned aircraft available yet for rescue work in this complete sense – but the possibility of developing such a remotely piloted aircraft, capable of hovering and with a remotely operated winch, is clearly not science fiction. Indeed, it is the idea of robotic care on board while the casualty is being transferred ashore that seems the only far-fetched part of the process now! But we need not only consider RPAs as a complete rescue solution. They can be rescue aids. SAR colleagues are already using small rotary-wing camera units to give coordinators a view of on-scene SAR work, for example. And if larger RPAs are considered, payloads might include droppable survival equipment, designed to keep people alive until larger (and presumably manned) SAR units arrive. So far we have discussed only unmanned aircraft. That’s because that is where most development has been going on. But what about unmanned surface craft for maritime SAR, too? Beach-launched and controlled ‘lifeguard’ units have been developed, primarily designed to deliver buoyancy aids to swimmers in difficulty prior to the arrival of rescue craft. And some people are ‘thinking bigger’ still: for an example see our next edition for an article on IMRF Associate Member Zycraft’s work. The use, and potential uses, of unmanned craft in SAR is a discussion well worth having as the industry is developing so rapidly. SAR crews will say – quite rightly – that their skills and capabilities will not be replicated by robots any time soon, if ever; but a mix of manned and unmanned units is an exciting prospect. Unmanned craft can be carried aboard manned units and deployed ahead, to search, locate and deliver survival aids. They can be launched from locations manned units cannot use. They may be more affordable – and more ‘disposable’, too, in higher-risk situations. They are worth further thought. page 6
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Member Focus: Australian Volunteer Marine Rescue Darryl Wright, Chair of the Australian National Volunteer Marine Search and Rescue Committee, writes: Australia’s SAR region covers some 52.8 million square kilometres: over a tenth of the Earth’s surface. When considering a total coastline of more than 59,000km, a relatively small population, a federal political structure, and the widespread distribution of dedicated resources, the need for a strategic approach to SAR is obvious. Established in 1976, the National SAR Council is administered by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) and is charged with overseeing Australia's SAR arrangements, maintaining the National SAR Plan, and ensuring the ongoing effectiveness of the cooperative arrangements between Australian SAR authorities. Over time, emergency service capabilities have been established in line with risk. For much of the Australian coastline, with the exception of some more heavily populated parts of the east coast, there is insufficient marine-related risk to justify the establishment of ‘occupational’ marine SAR capabilities. Consequently, there is a significant reliance on the services provided by Volunteer Marine Rescue (VMR) organisations.
Equally important, it has displayed recognition within the emergency services framework of the valuable role marine rescue volunteers play. This contributes positively to their ongoing retention and recruitment.
In 2007 the New South Wales Government undertook a review of VMR services in that state. The key recommendation was the establishment of a single VMR organisation. Unlike the Western Australia experience of integration into the emergency services department, the establishment of a ‘not-for-profit’ organisation was preferred: three established marine rescue organisations were brought together as Marine Rescue NSW (see LIFE LINE, December 2012). Notwithstanding the difference in organisational structure, the benefits realised in Western Australia have been Volunteer Marine Rescue units reinforced. in New South Wales (above), and Western Australia (below).
VMR capabilities in Australia have developed over the past 60 or so years to service local community needs and, in various ways and through literally millions of dedicated volunteer hours, have established themselves as an extremely capable, reliable and valuable marine SAR service. Because of increasing marine activity and pure value for money, there has been an escalation in the reliance on these volunteers. This reliance, and the broadening gap between the cost of providing the service and income generation, has caused a number of authorities to review traditional arrangements to ensure that society’s needs are met. In the late 1990s the Western Australian Government were the first to ‘bite the bullet’, bringing some 37 (of 39) independent groups spread along a 13,000km coastline under one organisational umbrella. This has led to significant advances in coordination and interoperability, fostered generic training standards and opportunities, made available volunteer support services, and enabled a strategic approach to capital planning for facilities and vessels. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
Sea Rescue in South Australia (photo: Yvonne Hill)
A wide-ranging review of emergency service arrangements in South Australia is also now under way, including consultation with the VMR Council, to assess the appropriateness of existing arrangements and to identify opportunities. Similarly, the Victorian Parliament has initiated an inquiry into marine rescue services: the report is due in September. In addition to these organisational reforms, the Council of Australian Governments has adopted a national approach to regulating domestic commercial vessels. While the move to a single national marine jurisdiction is arguably long overdue and introduced with good intent, the reforms have captured VMR organisations by prescribing their activities as ‘commercial’. For the majority of organisations, who have traditionally conducted activities in accordance with ‘recreational’ requirements, the impact of this is significant. It is fair to say that the need to transition VMR organisations from longestablished training pathways and vessel design to comply with provisions of the national law has caused a degree of concern among some volunteers, but what has (continued on page 8) page 7
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(continued from page 7)
been extremely pleasing is the willingness of AMSA to come to the table and work through the various issues. Through the National Volunteer Marine Search and Rescue Committee, which comprises delegate representation from all the states, the views of volunteers and submissions surrounding the uniqueness of their industry have been put to AMSA for consideration. As a result it is likely that a number of variations to originally proposed provisions, specific to VMR, will be made. In the interim, VMR operations continue to be provided through a legislative exemption. The Committee looks forward to continuing that engagement and working towards finalising legislative requirements, so that impact statements can be prepared and positions put before respective state governments to ensure that funding models are sufficient to satisfy these new legislative requirements.
All that said, the relationship between VMR organisations and the SAR authorities has never been stronger, and regardless of their state arrangements and level of government support, the 13,000 VMR volunteers around Australia stand ready to respond to marine emergencies and requests for assistance, monitor marine radio distress frequencies, and promote safe boating. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
SAR progress in North and West Africa West Africa Maritime Search and Rescue Region (WAMSRR) representatives – from Ghana, Guinea, Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and Sierra Leone – held their fourth meeting late in May, in the Moroccan city of Tangier. The meeting was sponsored and organised by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries. The group reviewed progress made by the MRCCs in the region and continued to develop the regional maritime SAR plan. And progress is being made. This meeting completed the drafting of the Regional SAR Plan for Monrovia MRCC, progressed commitments to complete national SAR self-assessments, held a combined regional meeting with the North West Africa SAR committee, and identified and discussed successful funding initiatives. The group also participated in a seminar and a mass rescue exercise. There is strong external support for the work being undertaken, with this meeting attended by a delegation from the IMO headed by the Head of the Technical Cooperation and Implementation Coordination Section. The IMRF was also in attendance for the first time, represented by CEO Bruce Reid and two Trustees of the charity. “It’s been good to hear first-hand the work that is being done, and the commitment from the individuals and their organisations to improve maritime SAR coordination and response for the region,” says Mr Reid.
by successfully lobbying for regulatory changes to direct funds received from maritime levies to support maritime SAR. The IMRF will be looking at how we can work with the IMO and the WAMSRR group to support SAR development in the region.”
At the conclusion of the meeting the two regional groups combined, with the chairman of each providing a brief background about their work, the progress made so far and the set-backs encountered. Mohammed Drissi, North West Africa regional coordinator and head of Rabat MRCC, thanked all the participants for their contributions. He stated his commitment to ensuring the two regional groups forge a closer working relationship to improve SAR services across both regions. Meanwhile, representatives from the North & West Africa region – Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Morocco and Senegal – had been holding their own meeting, supported by the IMRF, the IMO and IMRF Members the German Maritime SAR Service (DGzRS). This included a one-day seminar on key areas of maritime SAR interest, and a combined training exercise, ‘Strait 2014’.
“The political will or financial support to improve the safety, security and well-being of those heading on the water can be lacking. This needs to change. The participating organisations are addressing this challenge page 8
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August 2014
This one’s for real
Exchange your crew – again!
Andrew Ingram, of NSRI South Africa, writes:
IMRF CEO Bruce Reid writes:
At Hout Bay, a few kilometres from Cape Town on the southern tip of Africa, expired flares are regularly fired, instead of being handed in to the Police as is required by South African law.
Excitement is building, bags are being packed and phrase books pored over as more than 50 volunteers from organisations in nine countries prepare for the 2014 European Lifeboat Crew Exchange, running from 28 September to 4 October. This year’s exchange will also include two volunteers from the Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue and a representative from the French Société Nationale de Sauvetage en Mer (SNSM).
Over New Year’s Eve and other holidays, it is common for everything from pencil flares to 1000ft distress rockets to be fired on the coast … and sometimes even from vessels at sea. Amazingly this can happen for no apparent reason at any time during the year, even in daylight hours. Which makes things a little difficult for emergency services responding to distress signals. South Africa’s National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) has two Sea Rescue bases in the area. Station 8 at Hout Bay, and Station 26 at Kommetjie. Both volunteer crews are used to these false alarms, but are coached to treat each incident as the real thing. On the reporting of flares fired a rescue vehicle is despatched to high ground and the closest rescue boat is scrambled. Mostly these responses are false alarms, but on Saturday 13 June, the rapid response paid off. A Kommetjie resident reported a flare fired near a reef called Boneyards, and the Kommetjie 5.5 metre RIB Spirit of Winelands was launched. Minutes later the four NSRI volunteers were alongside the capsized hull of a commercial crayfish boat with four fishermen clinging to it.
Preparation is well advanced with the final details worked through by the Exchange coordinators at a meeting hosted by ICESAR in Reykjavik in June. As this is the third year of the exchange the meeting focussed on how to improve the experience for those attending and simplify the work required for the host countries.
Have a look at the Crew Exchange area on the IMRF website (click the Projects tab), and we would encourage you to keep an eye on the social media links where the experiences of those involved are being shared with the wider SAR community. Big thanks go to Linde Jelsma of KNRM for the fantastic job she continues to do in project-managing the Crew Exchange, and to the team of coordinators from the participating organisations. All the hard work is worth it when you read the evaluations of the programme and comments from the volunteers involved: “What an amazing and fulfilling experience!” “I will remember this for the rest of my life and hope the ‘exchange’ will continue for ever!” “Lots of new friends and valuable experiences. Thank you for a great week!”
At the best of times the Atlantic is cold: on this day the water temperature was hovering around 12 degrees. The four rescued men, who were all wearing lifejackets, were hypothermic. And very glad to see the red and yellow Sea Rescue boat approaching them. We hope that those who fire flares ‘for fun’ took note of this operation, and in future will hand their expired flares in to the authorities. We do not need false alarms! www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The Exchange has received support through the EU Lifelong Learning Programme funding for 2013-2014. We are currently looking at securing funding for 2015-2016 with the possibility of expanding the Exchange Programme either by increasing the number of organisations participating and reducing the number of volunteers per organisation or establishing another exchange involving different EU countries. If your organisation is in the EU and interested in participating in 2015 please make contact: info@imrf.org.uk. page 9
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August 2014
SWEAP
Baltic SAREX 2014
There are no exact figures, but we are told that somewhere in the world, every 30 seconds, at least 2 people drown. Most are children, artisanal fishermen or those involved in pleasure boating.
Nine countries, 28 surface units and three aircraft participated in the th 19 Baltic SAREX, held at Bornholm in May. Cdr Thomas Bay Jensen of the Royal Danish Navy writes:
What if people headed out on to the water better prepared? What if more people wore a lifejacket? What if fewer boats capsized? What if children and adults alike were better informed and could make better choices? …… Well, fewer lives would be lost. Many IMRF members have identified that saving lives on water sometimes starts on land through better educating water users, and many already have programmes in place. To help share this knowledge, the IMRF has built a section of its website which showcases these initiatives and, we hope, encourages more rescue organisations to expand into reducing the requirement to rescue people.
The exercise consisted of a harbour phase and a surface phase. This enabled directing staff to present subjects to the participants as lectures, which were later tested and trained at sea. Baltic SAREX training objectives are always focused at the unit level and each year particular subjects are identified as themes. The first theme this year was the ‘Local Incident Coordinator’, presented by the Royal Danish Navy Tactical Warfare Centre, the custodian of SAR Denmark. This describes the responsibilities and procedures of the leader of an assisting team arriving on board a vessel in distress, and is based on earlier years’ SAREX experiences and
And so we launch
SWEAP – the IMRF’s Safety On Water Education Awareness Project. Have a look at our ‘Education’ web pages, on the ‘Projects’ tab on the website. Here we share thoughts, articles, practices and processes to do with this vast subject. Now, we need YOU to help populate these pages. If you have a story to tell, an exciting programme, or a successful initiative and you are happy to share with others, don’t be shy! Send us the link, tell us the story, and we will share it. Or are you just beginning to introduce initiatives on education and awareness? If so, let other successful programmes inspire you. Visit the site: www.internationalmaritime-rescue.org. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
lessons identified. It provides the units with a more structured way of boarding and what to expect on board. During the sea phase there were several opportunities to train these procedures, and as the exercise progressed so did knowledge about the role. The second theme was ‘Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) in SAR’ (see page 6). During the exercise UAS were discussed and tested. Their potential in SAR was clear, both in confined areas such as the Baltic and beyond, for example in the Arctic. Furthermore, UAS have the potential to increase the span of operation of small SAR units.
photo: Manfred Buttke
The third theme was a research project on how decisions are made during SAR. The University of Cologne and the German Maritime Search and Rescue Service (DGzRS) have teamed up to examine decisionmaking in maritime SAR services. The project works with real SAR units, with the goal of obtaining scientific findings that are also practically relevant. This contrasts with typical decision-making research conducted in university laboratories. In Baltic SAREX 2014, the units of all the participating nations actively supported the research efforts by filling out questionnaires concerning the decisions they made during the exercises as well as individual characteristics such as experience and decision - making preferences. They were also filmed by the project team during the exercise. The resulting data are currently being analysed: the results will be presented in an academic workshop at next year’s SAREX. The fourth theme was the ‘Practical Response Analysis Method’ (PRAM), a method of analysing a complex emergency situation to ensure that actions are focused according to priorities. PRAM was introduced in the 2013 SAREX and, based on excellent feedback, a training course was arranged prior to the 2014 exercise and the tool was used to evaluate the exercise itself. It is considered very effective for use at the SMC and OSC level. For a full report on Baltic SAREX 2014, visit www.balticsarex.org. page 10
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Improving SAR in Costa Rica
International exchange
IMRF’s regional meetings
Alvaro Riba, head of SAR-506, writes:
Sharing SAR expertise and experience is one of the IMRF’s main aims. Ten members of Malta’s St John Rescue Corps recently had a week’s training with various rescue organisations based in the lake area of Konstanz in Germany.
The IMRF’s role is to work for our members and to represent them. Regional SAR development meetings help ensure that the time and effort being committed is aligned with our members’ needs. The meetings also provide a forum for neighbouring SAR groups to come together and discuss some of the local challenges and initiatives, sharing ideas, problems and solutions.
Costa Rican authorities recently agreed the construction of a megaport: this and the Panama Canal expansion will bring more and larger ships than ever before seen in the area to the coasts of Central America and the Caribbean. Trade in the region will benefit, but there will also be new risks. These ships will have to deal with local traffic: small, artisanal fishing and sport boats, and large yachts sometimes in inexperienced hands. Our concern is that local governments’ police speedboats are not suitable for rescues, especially offshore, and would be inadequate to meet simultaneous emergencies.
SAR-506 has initiated discussions with leading education agencies in Central America, and will create five micro television programs that broadly illustrate the need for small boat people to be aware of how to behave at sea. We also aim to make available to the public and the fishing trade a basic course known internationally as ‘American Boat Safety’, with further courses, and guidance on improved navigation and safety equipment, such as lifejackets, a VHF radio, satellite tracking equipment and flares. SAR-506 is therefore trying to acquire a broad vessel spectrum specialized in SAR, and our parent RIBA Foundation is creating partnerships with international organizations to help grow SAR in the Central American region. www.international-maritime-rescue.org
The SJRC members were hosted by the Federal Agency for Technical Relief. The trip was fully funded through the EU Civil Protection Exchange of Experts Program. The training included shoring of collapsed buildings, high angle rescue techniques, diving and rescue by boat, and setting up a medical camp. The different organisations’ members worked together and exchanged experiences on their different techniques. During this trip the SJRC team also travelled to Austria to observe a national exercise, and to visit the all-volunteer Fire Department of Rankweil to view their set-up. The SJRC regularly organises overseas training in order to keep its members highly trained and motivated. Last November, for example, 21 members attended a Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service Urban SAR training course in Liverpool, UK. The trip to Konstanz served to forge new international partnerships with highly respected organisations. Plans are in progress to reciprocate by hosting these organisations in Malta for training next year. Want to know more about opportunities to learn from each other? Contact info@imrf.org.uk.
Asia-Pacific Region The 2nd Asia Pacific Regional Development meeting will be held in Shanghai 18-19 September. The meeting is being coordinated by the IMRF’s Asia Pacific Regional Centre (APRC) with invitations to the decision makers in the regional SAR organisations. The APRC is now pushing forward with projects which include On Scene Coordinator training (a course successfully piloted last year) and a focus on regional mass rescue operations as part of the IMRF’s global MRO project. The IMRF is still growing in this region. The meeting will discuss a five year plan, seeking feedback and direction from the attendees and building the membership base. European Region Our European members have long supported the IMRF’s development, and have initiated many of our current projects. The meeting to be hosted by the Royal Netherlands Sea Rescue Institution (KNRM) in IJmuiden, 30-31 October, will be the last before the World Maritime Rescue Congress and our Quadrennial General Meeting in June 2015, so there will be a full agenda! If you are in either of these regions, make a note in your diary to attend! page 11
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Into the Arctic As the climate changes, maritime SAR may face new challenges: ships are moving onto Arctic routes. IMRF Trustee Song Jiahui, Director General of the China Diving & Salvage Contractors’ Association, writes: On 15 August 2013 COSCO Group’s Yong Sheng began a pioneering voyage: the first Chinese merchant ship to sail the Arctic Northeast Passage! As Security Director of China’s Ministry of Transport I spent an unforgettable 27 days and nights with her crew. COSCO began their comprehensive preparatory work for the voyage in 2012, determining a voyage plan and navigational window in accordance with the relevant Russian regulations and taking into account, among other things, ice-breaking, pilotage and emergency rescue procedures. Laden with 16,740 tonnes of cargo, Yong Sheng successfully reached Rotterdam after a voyage of 7,931 miles and 26 days. Compared to the conventional route via the Suez Canal, this saved about 2,780 miles and nine days. Except in some areas of more serious ice and poor visibility
navigational conditions were much better than on the traditional route, with wide navigable waters, relatively calm sea conditions and much lower traffic density. The Northeast Passage is a higherrisk segment of the voyage. Under the guidance of Russian icebreaker 50 Let Pobedy and ice pilots, Yong Sheng safely completed the 2,936 mile passage in a little under 10 days, spending about seven hours in a 60-80% ice floe area in the Kara Sea. And latitude 77° 54’ N set a new record for Chinese merchant ships! The Finnish tanker Uikku first attempted the Northeast Passage in the summer of 1997. Since then hundreds of vessels have used the route, accumulating much valuable experience. Predictions are that by 2021 the Passage may be navigable for up to eight months each year – and ice-strengthened ships with icebreaker support may be able to use it
Yong Sheng follows her icebreaker, and Capt Song (in the red jacket) with other members of her crew year-round. It seems inevitable that the Passage will become a new corridor of world trade, reducing operating costs significantly. On the other hand we must protect this important environment: Yong Sheng had special pollution prevention measures in place. China will continue to carry out navigational research, on Arctic meteorology, ice conditions, navigable routes and seasons, etc. We will also need to enhance the standards of ship design and crew training in accordance with relevant international standards, as well as improving polar communications and navigation equipment, so as to fully utilise the potential of Arctic transportation by sea. Look out for further consideration of high-latitude sailing – and emergency response – in future editions of LIFE LINE.
And finally... We hope that you have found this issue of LIFE LINE informative and interesting. We know that there is much more going on among IMRF’s membership that could be reported here, to the benefit of all – but we rely on you, the reader, to tell us about it! LIFE LINE and the IMRF website need you to provide their contents – your news, your projects, your events, your ideas, your lessons learned. We also need your pictures, please: good quality pictures (more than 250 kB, if possible) of your SAR units – boats, ships, aircraft, RCCs etc. These will be used in LIFE LINE and on the website – but are also needed for presentations and to accompany press articles about the IMRF and its worldwide work. Please send articles and pictures (or links to them, with formal permission for them to be used for IMRF purposes) to news@imrf.org.uk Let’s spread the word, for the benefit of all at risk on the world’s waters.
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