There are 39 Volunteer Marine Rescue Service (VMRS) groups situated along Western Australia’s 13,000 kilometre coastline from Rockingham in the west to Esperance in the south to Kununurra in the north, including Christmas and Cocos (Keeling ) Islands, all with one central aim to protect and saves lives at sea.
Of the total number of groups, 39 have been formally approved under the DFES Act and comprise of more than 1,700 registered volunteers.
VMRS groups work closely with the Western Australian Police Service (WAPOL) performing search and rescue missions at sea.
Marine rescue volunteers provide a range of emergency management services including:
- Assisting WAPOL to search for missing people or vessels
- Providing help to drifting vessels unable to make their own way
- Assisting in operations to remove grounded or submerged vessels
Rescue assistance includes:
- Provision of senior first aid, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation or expired air resuscitation
- Towing damaged vessels back to shore or launching ramp
- Re-supplying water or fuel to stranded vessels
- Providing advice on voyage planning, radio communications and actions to take during an emergency at sea
If you would like more information about becoming a Marine Rescue Volunteer, please review this
recruitment flyer (1.6 MB PDF).
You can also contact your local VMRS group or visit
Volunteer Marine Rescue Western Australia.
VMRS Contacts
For a full listing of contacts, please click here.