By Clay Evans, maritime historian and retired Canadian Coast Guard lifeboat coxswain

The previous article in this series dealt with the tragic toll on the rescuers over the last 100 years, focusing on a few stories where lifesavers from various organisations and coastal states were lost in the line of duty since 1924. Many safety measures have been implemented since then to help prevent such tragedies, with one of the more significant efforts being the development of enhanced, standardised and focused maritime SAR training.

It is interesting to note that the proceedings and papers of the international lifeboat conferences talk very little about organised training up until the 1970’s. This is not to say that training did not occur. It was, however, generally conducted at the local station level and primarily through hands-on activities and repetitive drills. From a lifeboat service perspective, the bulk of the crew were drawn from local fishermen and generations of lifeboatmen. These individuals were already trained seafarers, familiar with the local area, conditions and their craft. Information on how to do things right was passed from generation to generation and from the personal experiences of those who had done the work.

Early training through drills and exercises. A RNLI lifeboat being hauled ashore by the ladies of the village.             Credit: RNLI

The first efforts at standardisation would likely have been organisation-specific, including regulations for drills, training manuals that would have been used as basic guides on how to utilise specific pieces of equipment and the boats themselves and such early lifesaving basics as how to resuscitate the apparently drowned. In the RNLI, for example, as far back as 1872, the “Lifeboat Regulations” stated that “…the efficiency of a life-boat depends on the good training and discipline of her crew…the boat shall be taken afloat for exercise, fully-manned, at least once a quarter, giving the preference to blowing weather.” [i]

Another emerging factor in these early years which required specific training was the increasing use of advanced technologies, such as “Motorised” lifeboats, which rapidly became the standard after 1924, and although many of the rescue craft still maintained their sails and oars, operating these early petrol, and later diesel, engines was not for the uninitiated. These were not the “start them up and watch the gauges” engines of today. These finicky machines required constant monitoring and oiling. This meant that some of the lifeboat personnel also needed to train as engineers.

Similarly, mechanised power also allowed for production and use of electricity onboard rescue craft, which consequently powered some very significant rescue aids such as radio-telephones for ship-to-shore and ship-to-ship communications as well as radio direction finding (RDF) devices and later RADAR and depth sounding equipment as aids to navigation. All of these new technologies would become indispensable tools in the battle to both saves lives at sea and protect the lives of those onboard the rescue craft. The reality was, however, that their use introduced a large degree of technical complexity to the role of the lifeboatmen and a separate training regimen needed to be pursued.

The RS cruising lifeboat Skomvær II constructed in 1960 operating in heavy weather equipped with an early RADAR shown atop the wheelhouse.          Credit: RS Norway

The rapid development in maritime training requirements due to increasing technical developments was not isolated to the sea. From 1924 through to the post-Second World War period, the use of fixed wing aircraft, followed later by helicopters, for search and rescue was becoming much more common place around the globe. Given that these aerial assets were primarily operated by military organisations, the training regime required to operate these assets was just that – a military one – primarily based on standardised, equipment-specific training, most often provided at centralised training centres.

A USCG HH-52 amphibious helicopter in the 1960s. The increasing use of aircraft, and in particular helicopters, for maritime SAR provided training lessons to the maritime realm, including “type-specific” and standardised methods.       Credit: USCG

The benefits of the efficiency and effectiveness of the “aviation-style” of training management was not lost on those in the maritime SAR community that primarily operated surface vessels. The 1960s saw the increasing technical complexity of coastal rescue craft operations combine with a boom in search and rescue demand related to the massive increase in pleasure craft use. Soon, many of the primary organisations operating lifeboats and other rescue craft around the world would begin to adopt these more standardised and centralised training methods into their own operations.

Much of this early coordinated training development was based around specific types of rescue craft. In 1963 the RNLI began to rapidly introduce inflatable and later rigid hull inflatable boats, many of which were constructed at its Inshore Lifeboat Centre at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, with dedicated training being developed for these particular vessel types. Similarly, in 1968, the USCG began “type-specific” training at what would become the National Motor Lifeboat School (NMLBS) at Cape Disappointment, Washington. This comprehensive training was based around the 44-foot motor lifeboat (MLB) platform and included hands on operation, electronic navigation, search planning, towing and heavy weather operations. The Canadian Coast Guard (CCG) also recognised the merits of type-specific training and developed its Rigid Hull Inflatable Operations Training (RHIOT) schools, the first of which was at Bamfield, British Columbia around 1985. Similar schools, with curriculum based around standardised rescue platforms would become the norm in many of the world’s leading maritime rescue organisations.

One particular advantage of type-specific training is the ability to develop standard operating procedures (SOPs). Essentially these outline how particular operations are done, on that particular craft, and can include rescue procedures such as towing as well as dealing with emergency situations onboard and maintenance.

The natural progression of these smaller dedicated training centres was the development of larger all-encompassing “colleges” for maritime SAR training. Although organisations such as the USCG and the CCG had large academy-style colleges going back to 1915 and 1965 respectively, these institutions were, and remain, primarily officer-cadet focused for larger vessels and aviation personnel, with maritime SAR being one element of the curriculum. In the case of the CCG College, a “Coxswain’s Course” specifically designed for the operators of the CCG’s fleet of smaller rescue craft was initiated in the early 1980’s. On a broader maritime SAR training spectrum, the CCG College also continues to offer courses on the fundamentals of maritime SAR such as search planning and techniques and the duties of an On Scene Coordinator (OSC), but also provides training for the organisation’s coast radio operators and SAR Mission Coordinators (SMC) at the RCC level.

As far back as 1924, the RNLI offered some training at its London HQ, which moved to the new Poole HQ in 1974. By 1996, the institution recognised that a significant issue facing crew development was that the traditional stable of local seafarers was diminishing as demographics changed. This was related to a multitude of factors including increased migration to the cities and gradual downsizing of the fisheries around the coasts of the UK and Ireland. In order to centralise training, a plan was then put in place to build a “Lifeboat College” which was officially opened by HM Queen Elizabeth II in 2004.

The SAR training pool at the RNLI College in Pole, UK.        Credit: RNLI

Similar large-scale, centralised training centres, some built and operated in conjunction with private-sector maritime safety training partners, have been constructed by other European lifeboat organisations over the last two decades. A good example is the Norwegian Sea Rescue Society’s (RS) facility at RS Noatun, which first opened in 2018 just outside of Horten, Norway. This college has classrooms, full bridge simulators for their standardised types of rescue craft, technical workshops, accommodations and a full sea survival centre with a wave pool that can simulate violent storm conditions, including rain, thunder and lightning.

Trainees learning cold water survival techniques at RS Noatun, the Norwegian Sea Rescue Society in Horten, Norway.   Credit: Clay Evans

Inside the boathouse at RS Noatun. Some of the society’s inshore rescue boats being stored and maintained for training.              Credit: Clay Evans    

One element of maritime SAR training that has been enhanced in conjunction with the growth in standardised and centralised training is that of first aid and medical response. Most of the world’s maritime rescue organisations now have some form of integrated medical first responder capability and many of these new training institutions offer training to rescue personnel, at various levels, in first aid techniques and protocols and equipment use. Some organisations even have a medical doctor on staff, or on contract, whose primary role is for oversight and advice for both training and operational requirements.

A volunteer at a CCG mass rescue exercise using moulage techniques to train for emergency medical response and large-scale triage.                       Credit: CCG

Although the trend in maritime SAR training has been towards more centralised mechanisms, where the trainee comes to the course, several organisations, particularly those with longer coastlines and large distances between stations, have developed mobile training systems to both deliver initial courses and maintain continued skill proficiency remote from the primary training centres. This is particularly useful for organisations which have a large base of volunteers, who have other jobs and are generally available on weekends and even for organisations with paid staff as it can cut down travel costs significantly. These remote units can offer all forms of maritime SAR training, including type-specific, where smaller, towable, rescue craft are involved, and even electronic navigation courses with the use of portable simulators.

A mobile training unit of the RS that is used to teach youth and others basic sea survival skills by bringing survival gear and instructors to off-campus locations.        Credit: Clay Evans

As mentioned, one of the most significant training tools for maritime SAR operations that has evolved in recent years is the use of simulation, again drawn from the aviation industry and evolving into the maritime realm. From a boat operations perspective it provides the ability to artificially – and safely - create environments and situations for such training elements as high speed, confined waters and reduced visibility electronic navigation. From a SAR perspective it can also simulate complex search environments or place rescue craft operators and ship’s officers in the role of OSC, as well as training shore-based SMCs in complex SAR scenarios.

A simulated JF-Class RHI lifeboat of the KNRM used for confined waters, electronic navigation and maritime SAR training.          Credit: KNRM

Another factor that has promoted the development of a more effective maritime SAR training regime is the implementation of certain international conventions and the consequent domestic regulations for SAR-specific training for both dedicated SAR personnel and general mariners. The International Convention on Maritime Search and Rescue (SAR Convention) ultimately resulted in the creation of the International Aeronautical and Maritime SAR Manual (IAMSAR), which places a considerable emphasis on training development and protocols in all three volumes, and which is targeted at both maritime SAR professionals as well as seafarers in general. The International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) has also implemented basic operational level SAR training requirements for merchant deck officers which are generally integrated into domestic marine emergency duties (MED) curriculum. These training requirements are being reviewed by the IMO in the near future, and it is hoped that given the increasing complexity of global maritime SAR operations, that these standards will continue to be maintained and enhanced where required and not become diminished.

International conventions dealing with maritime SAR and maritime SAR training have developed into positive drivers for education of maritime SAR providers at sea, in the air and ashore.  Credit: ICS

From the context of the IMRF itself, the promotion and development of different elements of maritime SAR training have always been an integral element of the organisation’s mission. In more recent years the IMRF has focused on developing training tools and providing virtual, hybrid and hands-on SAR training to members and external organisations on such diverse topics as Mass Rescue Operations (MRO), Women in SAR (hands on operational SAR training), crew exchanges and related training and psychological first aid (SARYouOK?).

Presently, the IMRF is leading the development of a Maritime SAR Academy based around the IAMSAR Volumes I to III with supplementary modules on such topics as MRO, safety reporting, hazardous and noxious substances (HNS), mental health, to name a few. The objective of the Academy is to “build a modular, multilingual e-learning and live-training system that expands standardised SAR training worldwide, improves responder preparedness, and strengthens interoperability across maritime aviation and SAR.” The objective will be to offer this training through the IMRF’s on-line Maritime SAR Academy.

Type-specific training. A standard ZH-753 fast RHI alongside a motor lifeboat at the CCG’s RHIOT School in Bamfield, British Columbia              Credit: Canadian Coast Guard

Proper training today using methodologies that deliver the particular element of maritime SAR operations in the most effective manner, whether that be hands-on, on-the-job (OJT), classroom, simulated or a hybrid-version thereof remains integral to the success of the mission.

Mentorship also remains a key element of continued proficiency in maritime SAR training. It is imperative that, similar to those lifeboat and aerial SAR personnel of yesteryear, individuals who have experienced the “lessons learned” continue to pass this invaluable information down from mentor to trainee. Whether you’re an ‘old dog” or a “greenhorn” the ability to continue to look, listen and learn remains a cornerstone of continuous personal improvement and one which will serve greatly to ensure that both the lifesavers and those they are working to save, come home safe and sound.