Iceland: RNLI and ICE-SAR crew exchange

The UK’s RNLI reports that a Tynemouth station volunteer (Gordon) joined an International Maritime Rescue Federation (IMRF) crew exchange in Iceland — a week alongside Iceland’s search-and-rescue service ICE-SAR.

The programme brings selected SAR personnel from across Europe to share methods and work in another country’s conditions. Exercises covered swift-water rescue, ATV operations, maritime SAR, casualty care, cliff rescue, searching, firefighting and helicopter rescue.

The week also addressed Iceland’s volcanic landscape — how ICE-SAR adapts operations when volcanic activity changes the response picture. For Tynemouth RNLI, the exchange is meant to feed practical lessons back to the home crew.