Hopes new rescue craft available for next season

JULIA WADE

Local lifeguards are aiming to have a faster mode of marine-transport at their disposal next summer, a machine that will shave minutes off their rescue response times and ultimately save lives.

Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service (MHVLS) are currently raising funds to purchase a state-of-the-art rescue water craft (RWC) aka a jet ski, ‘to add to our bag of tricks’ president Jon Drucker says.

“The RWC’s are amazing, they’re extremely manoeuvrable and can get a lot closer to objects or people in the water, they’re a great rescue craft. In my mind it’s a move forward for the club and the community to have such high-quality rescue gear.”

RWC’s are also a lot faster than the rigid inflatable boats (RIB), cutting nearly ten minutes off rescue-response times which could mean all the difference between life and death for those who find themselves in peril out on the water.

“We’ll be getting a team together, a number of the RIB operators we’ve trained in the last few years will be able to use the craft and we’ll keep training members up as we can,” Drucker says. “The jet ski also comes with a trailer and the rescue sled which trails behind the craft. More clubs around New Zealand are using them now and we hope to have it available for the next season.”

After one of the busiest summers MHVLS has experienced, ‘although there’s been no major rescues since the holiday period ended’, the volunteers can soon have a rest with the lifeguard season set to close on April 5.

“We’re focused on getting our members all trained up, junior surf club is charging ahead and we’re training more operators to handle the RIB,” Drucker says. “We’ve also qualified 18 new lifeguards recently and have 70 new lifeguards in the club these last four years, which is a really proud achievement… we’re just careering through the rest of the season.”

“It’s a move forward for the club and the community to have such high-quality rescue gear.”

 

1:

Muriwai Volunteer Lifeguard Service's ‘Rescue Water Craft’. Mangawhai’s own service is currently fundraising to have a jet ski of its own by next season, to help shorten rescue response time. PHOTO/SUPPLIED

2:

Chrissy Brunton-Burrows cooking on one of two barbecues donated by Orang Otang and Mangwhai ITM for the surf club. “We use these to cook our sausages from Mangawhai Meat Shop for the junior surf kids and parents each Sunday.