Marine Rescue rescue training exercise

Marine Rescue Tuggerah Lakes will host a search and rescue exercise involving three Central Coast-based Marine Rescue NSW units on Saturday, March 29.

Marine Rescue NSW Hunter Central Coast Zone Training Manager, Jane Shirriff, said 34 volunteers from the Tuggerah Lakes, Central Coast, and Norah Head units will take part in the vital training exercise.

“We practise our search and rescue skills in a controlled environment so that when the real call comes, our volunteers are best prepared to respond,” Shirriff said.

Twenty volunteers on board five Marine Rescue NSW boats and two rescue watercraft (jet skis) will take part in the on-water search, while 14 volunteer radio operators will manage radio communications for the search scenario from the Marine Rescue Tuggerah Lakes Toukley base.

Shirriff said a scenario will be delivered to participants on Saturday afternoon, focusing on different areas of the lake.

“We will have two search locations on Tuggerah Lake, with four manikins in the water that our crews will need to locate and retrieve in a timely manner using various search techniques,” she said.

One search area will be on the southern side of Toukley Bridge, with crews conducting a parallel line search, while a contour search will be held on waters around Pelican Island.

“Members of the public will notice increased Marine Rescue NSW activity on Tuggerah Lake this Saturday; please don’t be alarmed, we are training,” she said..

“Should an emergency happen, our volunteers will rapidly respond.”

Marine Rescue NSW volunteers will be on Tuggerah Lake from 9am this Saturday, with the search and rescue exercise taking place between 1pm and 4pm.

Marine Rescue NSW is a volunteer based not-for-profit professional organisation dedicated to keeping boaters safe on the water and supporting local communities.