IT’S not for the faint-hearted.
The calls come at all hours, all days and all seasons, the beautiful sun-shining summers and the rough wild winters.
But it’s exhilarating.
And last Thursday, January 16, was no different when members of the Port Welshpool Volunteer Coast Guard undertook their bi-yearly training with Air Ambulance Victoria.
“Every six months we get together and train,” Mike Bland, Port Welshpool Coast Guard explained.
“Air Ambulance (HEMS2) practice putting a MICA paramedic onto the deck of the boat, and then they will practice putting their paramedics into the water; both winching them into and back out of the water.
“And then it varies, on Thursday, they dropped a line to our boat then dropped a life raft in the water. What we then do is draw that life raft into the boat, as though we are a sinking boat.
“There are a range of exercises that simulate real-life situations; where somebody’s in a boat, injured and need to be winched off the boat, or the boat is sinking.”
And whilst training for the call is not cheap, and requires dedication and commitment, those who undertake the lifesaving task are rewarded tenfold.
“The most amazing part is the response you get from the people when they’ve been saved. People can be in dire situations – in the water with literally minutes to live; hypothermia is setting in…
“In some ways you’re changing the destiny of that person by rescuing them – taking them out of the water, having them airlifted to hospital, basically saving their lives.”
According to Mike, it’s the small things that can be very satisfying.
“A while ago we had a father and two young boys in a boat, and they were very concerned they were not going to make it back to port, and we were able to help.
“There are two types of activities we get involved in. The first is assists, where you’ve got a situation – somebody has broken down, they have run out of fuel, they have a flat battery, there is a problem with the engine. In those situations, we will go out and assist – usually, we will get them started or we’ll tow them back to port.
“The second type is marine search and rescue. For example, not that long ago a couple of kayakers were out on the water at Corner Inlet, and they became a little bit disorientated, a bit fatigued. The weather conditions overtook them. Our role was to go out, find them and then rescue them – in this situation, we took the kayakers and their craft on board and back to shore.
“Our responsibility is to save lives.”
Like many volunteer organisations, there are many roles to fill, those on dry land and those out at sea.
“Coast Guard volunteers can be operational, which is those on boat duties, who head out to sea and engage in a range of activities around assists and rescues, and there are non-operational volunteers, who don’t necessarily go out and get wet. They include radio operators, administrators, fundraisers, first aiders, trainers… there’s a range of different skill sets that we love to pursue with the Coast Guard. Everybody is welcome.”
Taking the time to train volunteers, Mike emphasised that volunteers do not need to be familiar with the water.
“The training is very comprehensive. We do first aid, we do survival at sea, we have all the police checks, working with children, radio operations, seamanship, navigation, maritime law, vessel handling. It’s quite challenging to qualify (for operational), but it’s very, very satisfying.”
And with summer in full swing, the team have been blending operational activities with training.
“Summer months tend to be busier, so we tend to do less training on Sundays, as we’ll often be out operational. But ideally, we train usually once a week.”
Thousands of people are rescued each year by the volunteers at Coast Guard, will you be on the next boat out helping save a life?
For more information reach out to Port Welshpool Coast Guard via Facebook or email fc.vf20@coastguard.com.au.
