Moray Inshore Rescue Organisation uses £1000 Tesco Community Grant to fund advanced training for volunteers
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LIFESAVING volunteers based at a local village have been awarded funding for training.
Moray Inshore Rescue Organisation (MIRO) is using the £1000 Tesco Community Grant to help fund advanced training for volunteers, including: training helms to be fully qualified for day and night operations; radar training to increase the skills of crew members to operate when visibility is restricted; and ‘Staying Well: Understanding Resilience and Self Care’ training designed specifically for search and rescue volunteers.
MIRO operations manager, Peter Mackenzie, confirmed the team have already undergone courses.
He said: “Volunteers have attended a range of training in recent weeks.
“Ryan Tozer, chief instructor from iPowerboat in Kinlochleven, visited to deliver ‘Use of Radar for Safe Navigation’ training to eight crew members. The bulk of the course was delivered on rescue boat, The Glynn Whitehead III, with additional classroom work in the training room at our base at Findhorn Marina.
“Later 16 volunteers attended ‘Staying Well: Understanding Resilience and Self Care’ training delivered by Lifelines Scotland trainer and Scottish Mountain Rescue volunteer, Steve Penny, who travelled from his base in the Borders. The team learned about the impact of trauma and stress, as well as discussed the things that threaten the wellbeing of emergency responders.
“On Tuesday July 4, six crew members led by Sean Proctor, MIRO volunteer and MCA helicopter crew, took part in an exercise to simulate assessment and recovery of a casualty from the dunes area of Findhorn beach.”
As well as providing an operational rescue service, MIRO’s volunteers are committed to training to maintain and increase their skills to ensure they are equipped to deliver.
Chairman John Low thanked them all for their dedication and contribution to saving lives.
Mr Low added: “MIRO has responded to 13 emergency callouts so far this year.
“Rescues have included people and dogs cut off by the tide and sailors, kite surfers and paddle boarders in difficulty.”
