The Canadian Coast Guard Auxiliary Unit 512, PointSAR Marine Rescue, is looking for volunteers to join its search and rescue team.
Crew members will operate from Bridgeview Marina in Point Edward so applicants should live locally.
PointSAR Unit Leader Greg Grimes said they're looking to add five to 10 volunteers.
"Currently, we have 12 active members. The goal is to try and get us up to 20 with some room for attrition down the road," Grimes said. "We like to run in the 20 and 25 range to make sure we have enough people trained to do the search and rescues because it is a 24/7 operation."
PointSAR will look for volunteers who have varying schedules and lifestyle commitments.
"During boating season, we train once a week for about three hours. It's a combination of dockside, classroom, and on-the-water training," said Grimes. "Their availability dictates how many more hours they put in by being on-call. It's based on the needs of the boating community how many times you're called out and whether you're available for when the joint search and rescue coordination centre tasks us to a rescue."
Applicants must be at least 19 years of age, have a Pleasure Craft Operator Card, at least Standard First Aid with level 'C' CPR, and have no criminal record.
Grimes said they're looking for people who are comfortable on the water adding that since training will be provided, search and rescue experience is not required.
The marine rescue team plans to boat in the water on May 1. Grimes said they hope to have volunteers by then for group training purposes.
Grimes said crew members gain a lot of new skills by the end of the season and it's a great way to give back to the community.
"You do make a difference in people's lives by being the help they need when they're stuck on the water," he said. "Nothing is more frustrating than being out on the water and being in trouble. It's really reassuring to go out and help these people through their worst day on the water."
Additional information and applications can be found online at pointsar.ca/volunteer.
