Mandurah Water Rescue has taken a big step in the future preparation of its fleet, thanks to a grant of nearly $55,000 through Lotterywest.
The funds will be used to install new electronics systems on the organisation’s biggest boat, The Spirit, improving it’s ability to communicate with other vessels and perform more accurate search operations.
“Receiving grants of this nature allows us to be more efficient, increase our activity on the ocean, and make Mandurah safer for the boating public,” Mandurah Water Rescue president Ray Rudland said.
Emergency Services Minister Joe Francis said, as Mandurah was one of the busier marine rescue operations in the state, it was especially important vessels in the local fleet were up-to-date and capable of handling a range of emergency situations.
“With an ever-growing community such as Mandurah is, it’s so important that the work you do continues,” he said.
“The ocean is a dangerous place, as we can see from the still-unsolved boating incident in Mindarie last week. We send out our best wishes to the missing man’s family, and it goes to show how important water rescue operations like this one are.”
The tender for the installation of the electronic systems was given to local company Mandurah Marine Trimmers.
“The installation includes technologies that are new to the industry,” Mandurah Marine Trimmers’ Simon Dummit said.
“It includes the new Halo radar system, the first solid-state radar in the world. There’s also some integration with autopilot, and some underwater 3D surveillance technology, which is also a world-first.”
Mr Dummit said the whole system was designed to give rescuers more flexibility.
“it’s really about looking after them while they’re in the water, and under the water. So any person who can;t be seen by the naked eye, the radars can pick them up.
“And any other search and rescue vessel that’s looking for something underwater – boats, or unfortunately sometimes bodies – that technology is available and ready to use.”
Mandurah Water Rescue thanked the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and Mandurah Marine Trimmers for their work.
