Podcast: Why Gender Balance in Maritime SAR Matters

Caroline Jupe, IMRF’s Head of Fundraising & Projects, sits down with Jori Nordström from the Finnish Lifeboat Institution and Michael Vlasto, former IMRF Chair and Chair of the IMRF Awards committee, to discuss why gender balance matters in maritime search and rescue (SAR).

Released on the IMO’s first International Day for Women in Maritime, this podcast takes a look at the progress made by the IMRF’s #WomenInSAR Initiative and what can be done to ensure that maritime SAR continues to recruit and retain women in this traditionally male-dominated sector.

Podcast IMRF Women In Maritime

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Development of Inflatable Rescue Craft
#FutureSAR, Fredrik Falkman, Swedish Sea Rescue Society (SSRS)

Fredrik Falkman from Sweden's SSRS suggests that SAR organisations need to have a smarter approach to operating in rising sea levels, with a critical assigning of resources for each operation.
Blog: Captain Hilmar Snorrason, Principle at the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre, ICE-SAR

We speak with Captain Hilmar Snorrason, Principal at the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre at ICE-SAR, about his 30-year career in maritime safety.
Future SAR Videos

Blog: Captain Hilmar Snorrason, Principle at the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre, ICE-SAR

We speak with Captain Hilmar Snorrason, Principal at the Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre at ICE-SAR, about his 30-year career in maritime safety.
Blog: Amber Sheasgreen, Operations Manager, Royal Canadian Marine Search and Rescue

We speak with Amber Sheasgreen, the winner of the 2023 #WomenInSAR award, about the importance of asking questions and the need for cohesive teamwork in maritime SAR operations.
Blog: Angelo Abreu, Commander-in-Chief, SANAS Madeira

We talk to Angelo Abreu from SANAS Madeira about the impact and challenges of smaller maritime SAR organisations and how learning from peers is of the utmost importance.
Blog: Geoffrey Denman, Canadian Coast Guard, JRCC, Victoria

Geoffrey Denman from the CCG speaks about his almost four decades in the maritime SAR sector and the importance of relationships to promote operational excellence.
Blog: Björn Jónsson, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder, Hefring Marine

We talk to Björn Jónsson of Hefring Marine to discuss how their technology is playing a critical part in improving maritime SAR safety for crews and their recent project to raise awareness of the impact of onboard vibrations.
Blog: Dean Lawrence, President, Waiuku Coastguard, New Zealand

We speak to Dean Lawrence, former national President of the Royal New Zealand Coastguard, and current President of the local Waiuku Coastguard, about his lifetime in service as a SAR operator.
Podcasts: Mass Rescue Operations in maritime SAR

Tom Gorgol, Mass Rescue Programme Manager at the US Coast Guard, and David Jardine Smith, the IMRF’s former MRO Project Manager speak about the critical importance of being prepared for MROs and how to manage cultural barriers that can impact the operations.
Blog: Christian Karlsen Skeie, AntiSink

We speak with Christian Karlsen Skeie from AntiSink about how developing technologies and safety systems for leisure boats and emergency services are vital to minimising the impact of shipwrecks
Blog: Martina Capriotti, member of the board of directors at FISA

We sit down with Martina Capriotti, a member of the board of directors at FISA in Italy, about her Sea Rescuers Against Plastics campaign and the importance for SAR personnel and organisations to be aware of the dangers of microplastics.
Blog: Herbert Meth, Head of Ascension Island Sea and Land Rescue Service

We speak to Herby Meth, Head of AISLR, about some of the challenges facing a SAR organisation that faces geographical isolation and the impact that can have on major medical emergencies.

SAR Matters: Defining Distress Continued ...

People known to be in distress need to be rescued, of course – and the SAR community knows that this concept must also be extended to those believed to be in distress, and to those who, while not yet in distress, will become so if help is not provided to them in the meantime.
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This manual, together with the accompanying Rescue Boat Operator Search Cards, provides recommended best practice for any organisation looking at introducing basic training in Rescue Boat SAR operations.
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