FAQs about volunteering for the Coastguard Rescue Service
You will find information on this page about how to volunteer as a Coastguard Rescue Officer, and what the role involves. You can also look on our 'Opportunities to volunteer' page to find out if there are vacancies in teams in your local area.
What
is the Coastguard Rescue Service and what does it do?
Who can be
a Coastguard Rescue Officer?
How do I find out where my local team
is? How do I find out if my
local team are looking for new volunteer members?
How do I apply to be a CRO?
What
skills and experience
are required? What is the application process
- would there be tests, an interview?
If I am a Coastguard Rescue
Officer, can I go on holiday?
Can I still work a full time job?
How
am I informed of a rescue - do I have to carry a pager?
Is there
a requirement that I am capable of dealing with potentially
traumatising incidents or rescues? Is there counselling available if I do?
Do I get paid?
Is
there a compensation scheme if I am injured whilst involved in
a rescue or training?
How often will I be called out on rescues?
How much time will it take
up?
What sort of commitment do I have to give?
Would
I be given training? What sort of training?
Would I be given all
the kit?
Are there opportunities to be a full time, paid member of
HM Coastguard?
What is the Coastguard Rescue Service and what does it do ?
The volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service provides the UK’s coastal search and rescue capability and as part of Her Majesty’s Coastguard it can operate separately or jointly with other emergency services and volunteer rescue organisations. It consists of teams of volunteers (Coastguard Rescue Teams), drawn from the local community, which are fully trained and equipped to carry out search and rescue operations around the coast of the UK.
As a volunteer in one of our Coastguard Rescue Teams, you will play a vital role in helping the Maritime & Coastguard Agency, through Her Majesty’s Coastguard, achieve its vision of being a world-class organisation that is committed to preventing loss of life, improving maritime safety, and protecting the marine environment.
Members of the Coastguard Rescue Service are called Coastguard Rescue Officers and membership of the Coastguard Rescue Service is entirely voluntary.
Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers can be called out by the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre (MRCC) at any time of the day or night, in all weathers, to respond to those in trouble or missing, to seek confirmation or further information of a report, or to participate in a joint response to an emergency
Here are the main things that the Coastguard Rescue Service does:
Who
can be a Coastguard Rescue Officer?
Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers come from all walks of life. They are people who have chosen to serve their communities and the public by giving their time, skills and effort willingly and without salary. We value this commitment and contribution very highly.
You need to be aged between 18 and 65, have a full driving licence, and live or work within 30 minutes travelling time from the rescue station.
You will need to be reasonably fit and have a good standard of general health to be a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer.
You could be asked to respond to emergencies at any time of the day or night, so we will ask you to be available as much as possible, but we do recognise that you have other responsibilities and commitments.
How
do I find out where my local team is? How do I find out if my local team are looking for new volunteer members?
To find out where your nearest team is you can look at the map of Coastguard Rescue Stations [PDF], or you can look on our 'Opportunities to volunteer' page to see if there are vacancies in your local area.
Once you have read the membership information you can look on our 'Opportunities to volunteer' page to see if there are vacancies in your local area, and give you the contact details for your local Sector Manager. If there are currently no vacancies in your area you can also e-mail CRSenquiries@mcga.gov.uk, and they will give you the Sector Manager's details to allow you to express an interest in volunteering and find out if vacancies are likely to arise soon.
What
skills and experience are required? What is the application process - would there be tests, an interview?
Volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers come from all backgrounds and walks of life and each brings a wide variety of knowledge and skills to the team gained from work or social activities.
Strong communication skills are needed, with a confident grasp of the English language to enable you to understand and exchange complex information by radio or telephone with fellow emergency service professionals and to write down and relay messages effectively.
You have to be emotionally stable and resilient and able to deal with difficult conditions and situations. You must be able to maintain a disciplined, calm approach, often under pressure, and be effective team members.
You should be aware that being a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer could be disruptive to family life – training is often held in the evenings or at weekends, and you could be called to an incident at any time of the day or night.
You don’t need to have any particular previous experience, but if you have previously worked in a team, or have an interest in the sea or the coast, that’s great.
To apply, you just need to look on our 'Opportunities to volunteer' page to see if there are vacancies in your local area, and give you the contact details for your local Sector Manager.
You will then be given an application form, and if your application for membership is accepted you will be asked to come along for an interview so that you can find out if being a member of the Coastguard Rescue Service is for you, and we can find out more about you.
Some of the activities of a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer are physically demanding. Examples include carrying heavy equipment to rescue sites or participating in extended search operations in foul weather conditions. You would be required to undergo mandatory health and fitness tests, and meet eyesight and hearing standards. This is a pre-requisite for enrolment and we cover the costs of this.
If
I am a Coastguard Rescue Officer, can I go on holiday?
Yes, of course you can go on holiday. All you would need to do is let us know how long you will be away, and you will not be called upon to volunteer your services for the time you specify.
Can
I still work in a full time job?
Yes indeed. Being a Coastguard Rescue Officer is a voluntary activity. If your membership application is accepted, we will write to your employer to advise them of your new status as a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer and to ask them to confirm your availability to respond to emergencies during working hours. We will also inform your employer that the skills and experience that you will gain from being a volunteer are transferable to your workplace and, where applicable, we will thank them for their contribution to emergency response by allowing you to respond to callouts during working hours.
How
am I informed of a rescue - do I have to carry a pager?
Yes, you would carry a pager, or in some areas, volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers are notified by mobile phone – it depends on which part of the coast you live and work in.
Is
there a requirement that I am capable of dealing with potentially traumatising incidents or rescues? Is there counselling available if I do?
Very occasionally, volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers are involved in distressing or difficult incidents, perhaps recovering a dead body. There will also be times when you are on scene at an incident where persons are in distress but you are awaiting the arrival of the remaining team members or other SAR units. You may have to deal with parents, relatives or friends who could be anxious, angry, uncooperative, abusive or badgering you to do something.
Post –incident counselling is available if you choose to take advantage of it.
The role of a Coastguard Rescue Officer is a voluntary role. Many volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers do not claim any money, but you are entitled to claim a small reimbursement to compensate you for your expenses incurred in responding to emergencies and for training.
Is
there a compensation scheme if I am injured whilst involved in a rescue or training?
Yes, if you are injured on Coastguard authorised duty, you are entitled to claim for loss of earnings from your main employment from the Coastguard Rescue Service Injury Compensation Scheme. Limits apply.
How
often will I be called out on rescues? How much time will it take up?
Search and rescue incidents and callouts are, by their very nature, totally unpredictable. However, the Sector Manager who looks after the team you are in would be able to give you an indication of how frequently the team has been called out in the past, and to what types of incident.
What
sort of commitment do I have to give?
We ask all our volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers to commit to
Would
I be given training? What sort of training?
HM Coastguard will give you full training and regular training opportunities so that you are able to carry out your emergency response duties safely and competently. This will include training in matters such as first aid, map work, search techniques, communications, and, depending on your locality, rope rescue, mud rescue etc.
HM Coastguard will provide you with the appropriate equipment and protective clothing so that you can carry out your emergency response activities safely and in accordance with the appropriate Coastguard Policies and Procedures.
Are
there opportunities to be a full time paid employee of HM Coastguard?
Details of vacancies in Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centres within the Maritime and Coastguard Agency can be found on the MCA website www.mcga.gov.uk