1,000’s of lives are saved every year, because of the service provided by volunteer SAR groups across the world.

The IMRF recognises the need to provide safe and appropriate operations and equipment to keep the rescuers safe.

Many of the IMRF member organisations operate rescue boats, that sit outside IMO regulations, so the IMRF has developed flexible, but risk-based, guidance for maritime SAR operations by vessels of less than 24 meter in length, including, risk and safety assessments as well as identifying appropriate equipment, procedures & training.

Organisations using the Rescue Boat Guidelines will be able to call on the knowledge of IMRF members and our collective expertise to provide safer environments and equipment for our volunteers the unpaid professionals.

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The IMRF Rescue Boat Guidelines Aims to ...

The IMRF's project to develop guidelines for maritime SAR units of less than 24 metres in length aims to: 

	Develop a mutually agreed set of guidelines for the design and operation of smaller maritime search and rescue vessels;
	Create an international work group to develop and sustain the guidelines;
	Encourage organisations to adopt a risk-based safety management approach to their operations;
	Enhance cooperation and working practices to deliver improvements in global SAR operations.

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The Project Developed

The project has developed a simple to use web-based application that allows users to receive tailored guidance on the management of typical maritime SAR risks. 

The application also provides dynamic links to reference and example documents to facilitate global improvements through knowledge sharing.

To find out how the RBG Digital Works and how to access it, please visit the "Rescue Boat Guidelines - The Digital Tool" page here.