Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson visits Mid West to help launch new Jurien Bay Marine Rescue vessel

A new rescue vessel and floating pontoon will reduce emergency response times on the water after Marine Rescue Jurien Bay crews recently welcomed it to their fleet. The 10m rigid-hulled inflatable boat named Ocean Watch, built by Dongara Marine, was launched in Jurien Bay on Saturday, July 15. The vessel is fitted with a radio detection finder to pinpoint the direction of an EPIRB, an inbuilt infrared camera to identify people in the water, particularly during night rescues, and gives volunteers greater capacity to undertake long-distance rescues. A new floating pontoon where the vessel will berth will be based at the group’s headquarters, allowing volunteers to deploy quicker and reducing response times. Ocean Watch replaced a 9m catamaran that served the local community for 17 years, including the rescue of three people in the ocean’s high swell last May. According to the State Government, MRJB has responded to 55 incidents in the last year, totalling more than 290 volunteer hours. Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson and Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Darren Klemm attended the naming ceremony. Mr Dawson said the vessel was a great addition to MRJB and improved their ability to protect people with enhanced technology. “Volunteers are deployed to incidents at a moment’s notice so providing them with the best available tools will help them get to people in an emergency situation more efficiently,” he said.