OUR PEOPLE
THE HEART OF OUR SERVICE Marine Rescue NSW volunteers are the heartbeat of our service. Their distinctive blue uniform signifies responsibility, trust and service to members of our community.
M
arine Rescue NSW has this year recorded a 4.35 per cent increase in its volunteer workforce, ending the year with 3,136 members who give their time and energy to serve our community without recompense or reward. This growth includes the members of our newest unit, Marine Rescue Lord Howe Island. It is also a rewarding reflection of the value the community places on our mission to save lives and people’s desire to give something back to their community, learn new skills and make new friends. This growth was achieved despite the strictures imposed by COVID-19. The safety and welfare of our people, always the organisation’s highest priority, drove our response to the pandemic. MRNSW introduced the first of a number of escalating risk management strategies on March 3 to safeguard our volunteers’ and community health while maintaining our essential services. Protocols were stepped up to support members’ social distancing and isolation and in turn safeguard our workforce capacity on March 16 and 30. Following the easing of public health requirements, some operational restrictions were lifted before duties returned to the “new normal” on May 20. In a series of video messages and emails to the membership, Commissioner Stacey Tannos made it clear that the service’s paramount concern had been to ensure that every possible step had been taken to minimise the potential risks to people’s health. As well as managing the operational implications of the risk management processes, Headquarters’ Member Services also placed a priority on helping to support people’s mental health and wellbeing, distributing information on help services and government assistance packages for those impacted financially. Without the camaraderie of their normal operational routines, members were encouraged to maintain contact with each other, particularly those who might be feeling the strain of isolation. Social media was employed to help maintain engagement, with personnel reporting on working from home, new hobbies, home schooling, ways they were staying in touch with their colleagues and even introducing staff members’ pets. Zoom was widely adopted to hold meetings and less formal catch-ups. By the end of June, as the organisation, like the community, grew accustomed to living with Coronavirus, a gradual return to “normal” operations was well under way, within the bounds of maintaining social distancing, enhanced hygiene and cleaning practices and greater awareness of individuals’ own health.
3,136 Volunteer Members
36 MARINE RESCUE NSW | ANNUAL REPORT 2019-2020
WORKFORCE CHARACTERISTICS VOLUNTEERS Male Female
2,329 (74.3%) 807 (25.7%)
Membership category Regular
2,495
Provisional
599
Other
42
Total volunteers
3,136
Radio Club members
15,444
STAFF Regional Operations Managers
6
Regional Training Managers
3
Headquarters-based
23
Stores
1
Total staff
33
WORKFORCE PROFILE The increase in volunteer numbers this year was accompanied by a significant shift in the membership profile, pointing to the seeds of a generational change. The volunteers who have been with the organisation for more than a decade - transferring to MRNSW from one of the predecessor services, the Australian Volunteer Coast Guard Association, Royal Volunteer Coastal Patrol or Volunteer Rescue Association marine fleet - are no longer the largest cohort. While these experienced volunteers make up 18 per cent of the membership (down slightly from 19 per cent in 2018-19), new recruits now comprise 20 per cent. Almost two-thirds of the membership - 63 per cent - joined five or fewer years ago. The ongoing sustainability of our service to the boating community relies
15,444 Radio Club Members
350
Medals & Awards
