Members of the IMRF community came together on 19 October 2022 for the first part of the European Regional Meeting, which was once again done virtually.

As global restrictions related to the pandemic have slowly lifted over the past 12 months, this year’s programme examined an extraordinarily busy year for the IMRF.

The meeting was chaired by IMRF CEO Theresa Crossley and opened by Jori Nordström, CEO of the Finnish Lifeboat Institute and IMRF’s European Regional Coordinator.

During the webinar, Theresa highlighted some of the major accolades the IMRF has achieved since October 2021, including the G5 Mass Rescue Conference and the MRO SME Course, both of which took place in June 2022 in Gothenburg, Sweden. 

The fifth World Maritime Rescue Congress, which will be held in June 2023, was also showcased, with Theresa and Jacob TAS from the KNRM noting that abstract submissions for the event are now open

Following that, Dave Whiddon, International Programme Manager at the RNLI, spoke about the IMRF’s Basic Rescue Boat Operator Manual, which has been updated to ensure that any updated safety critical information has been captured and shared accordingly. 

Caroline Jupe, IMRF's Head of Fundraising & Projects, then spoke about the IMRF’s newly launched #SARyouOK? initiative and the goals for the project. She then introduced Rebecca Miller, a volunteer at the RNLI, who talked about the IMRF’s #WomenInSAR Training and Seminar Event in August 2022

To end the meeting, Theresa was joined by Michael Vlasto, former IMRF Chair and Head of the IMRF Awards Judging Panel, to announce the winners of this year’s IMRF Awards, recognising all those involved in maritime SAR from around the world. 


The recording for the first part of the European Regional Meeting 2022 is now available to IMRF Members only. Click here to log in and re-watch the webinar. 

If you are an IMRF Member, but have not yet registered for a "Members Only" account on the IMRF Website, please follow the instructions here.

If you are interested in watching the webinar and becoming an IMRF Member, click here to find out how