The IMRF Maritime SAR Academy is inviting volunteers from across the SAR community to help shape its new training programmes.

The IMRF Maritime SAR Academy has been established to strengthen maritime search and rescue capabilities worldwide by improving access to high quality, consistent training. It supports organisations and individuals in building confidence, capability, and shared standards across the sector.

Following the successful delivery of its first online session in February, the Academy is now entering an exciting stage in its development, with a real opportunity for members of the SAR community to get involved.

The IMRF is currently inviting volunteers to join its User Test Group, playing a vital role in trialling new training modules on the Academy’s Learning Management System (LMS) ahead of their official release. This is a chance to help ensure the content is practical, clear, and genuinely useful for people working in SAR. Feedback from the User Test Group will directly influence how the modules are refined, ensuring they meet the needs of the global SAR community.

In addition, the Academy welcomes interest from individuals with a strong knowledge of the IAMSAR volumes to contribute as Academy Module Authors. This is an opportunity to share your expertise and experience and help develop learning materials that reflect recognised international guidance while remaining grounded in real world SAR operations. It is a valuable opportunity to contribute to something that will support current and future SAR personnel around the world.

Whether you are looking to contribute your knowledge or play a part in strengthening the wider SAR community, the IMRF would be very pleased to hear from you.

If you would like to support this initiative, either as a User Test Group member or a Module Author, please contact Paul Duffy, Project Manager, Maritime SAR Academy, at [email protected].

More information on the Maritime SAR Academy.