VMR, SES, water police to take on training exercises this weekend

Watch out for increased activity around the Whitsunday coast this weekend, including helicopter flights and spotlight searches.

Rescue vessels will be out in force in the Whitsundays this weekend. Picture: Supplied.

North Queensland emergency services will join forces for the ultimate skills test this weekend, with the Whitsundays playing host to the annual Volunteer Marine Rescue Northern Zone joint search and rescue exercise, aka SAREX.

Whitsunday Water Police, SES Airlie Beach, and QAS Cannonvale, are among the groups joining VMR crews from across the region in the three-day event, which kicks off this Friday, May 7.

Along with Townsville Coastguard and RACQ CQ Rescue, they will run through simulated search and rescue scenarios to brush up on their skills in preparation for real-life emergencies.

The event is also an opportunity for Queensland Police Service Search and Rescue Coordinators to practice search procedures.

It provides an opportunity for all rescue units and the Water Police/QPS to work together and complete search tasks effectively, while developing close relationships between all emergency services.

VMR Whitsunday President Mal Priday said the Whitsunday Water Police had organised a range of challenging exercises, and would provide detailed briefings to all rescue vessel skippers.

A night exercise, beginning at 6.30pm on Friday, will involve the use of FLIR thermal imaging equipment and spotlight searches.

Also watch out for an exercise involving the RACQ CQ rescue helicopter on Sunday, starting at 10am.

This will be visible from a distance as it comes towards Coral Sea Marina executing lifts off a rescue vessel, and will be a great opportunity for the public to observe emergency services working together with precision.

VMR Whitsunday’s radio room will be the co-ordination centre for the event.

Most of the exercise communications will be on VHF channel 67, and boaties are asked to minimise the use of that channel during the exercises. Other channels such as 16, 81 and 82 may also be used at times if required during the exercises, but use of those channels will be kept to a minimum.

VMR spokesperson Sharon McLean said these types of joint exercises were a vital training tool to enhance the skills and abilities of the VMR volunteers along with those of all the other emergency services.

It also provides emergency preparedness in the event of an emergency at sea, with all the involved services being able to work confidently together.

“We ask that members of the public do not get concerned if they see rescue vessels, and Whitsunday Water Police conducting searches in the Whitsunday waters, that it is just a training exercise,” Ms McLean said.