Marine Rescue Queensland’s volunteers are the lifeblood of the service, carrying on a proud tradition of more than 50 years of service to their community in keeping people safe on our oceans and waterways. If you’re interested in marine rescue and want to support your local community, why not join our team of passionate volunteers?
No matter how remote the location, difficult the search, or rough the conditions, our volunteers are the trusted and reassuring support you can depend on in an emergency. Thanks to their skill and determination, thousands of lost or stranded boaties are safely returned home every year.
Everyone starts their volunteer journey somewhere and whether you have decades of marine rescue experience or you’re just starting out, we can help you on your volunteer journey.
Find out about Ian and Hannah’s volunteer experiences.
It takes a big effort to coordinate Queensland’s marine rescue network and our support teams are as important as our frontline responders, coordinating the training, management, maintenance, and administrative tasks that ensure we are always rescue ready.
If you already have some boating or emergency service knowledge, that’s great. If not, our professional training courses are specifically designed to give you the skills and qualifications you’ll need.
This may include first aid, sea survival, a marine radio operator’s certificate of proficiency and, on completion of the relevant training and sea time requirements, a Coxswain Grade 1 Near Coastal AMSA (AMPA) certificate of competency.
MRQ guarantees full coverage of operational costs, ensuring our members can focus on their crucial roles and spend more time engaging with the community.
If you are fit, confident in a range of onboard conditions, can work as part of a team, and thrive during gruelling situations - you could be a perfect crew member. You’ll help to perform water rescues or operations in an emergency and remain effective in high-stress situations, performing vital work in marine search and rescue operations.
Our radio operators monitor the marine radio airwaves for calls from recreational boaters in distress and log vessel movements. You’ll manage messages and information from marine radios and other devices, maintain logbooks and records, support search and rescue communications, and provide coordination support.
A general member role might sound ‘general’ but everyone plays a vital role in a MRQ unit’s success. General members support the operational unit with public administrative, educational and community focused event activities. There are also opportunities to learn skills in other areas to support the boating community across Queensland’s coastline and waterways.
MRQ is progressively transitioning units from the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association (AVCGA) and Volunteer Marine Rescue Association Queensland (VMRAQ) into our service, so we can only accept applications for units which have moved into MRQ.
Visit the Rescue Units page and search for your local unit. If your closest unit is still with AVCGA or VMRAQ, follow the links to find out about volunteer opportunities. If your local unit has joined MRQ, express your interest in becoming a volunteer.
