NSRI turns medevac into critical training opportunity through regional teamwork

When a call came through the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) reporting that a crewman had sustained serious burns aboard a vessel off the coast of St Helena Bay, the NSRI mobilised swiftly.

The incident, involving a crew member who suffered burns to his face, hands, and arms from the engine’s freshwater cooling system, became a powerful example of the NSRI’s regional strength, where volunteers and professionals across the West Coast worked together to carry out a successful medical evacuation (Medevac).

Station 44 in St Helena Bay, one of the NSRI’s newest stations, received the callout. However, as the operations manager of the training department, Bruce Sandmann, explained, the crew faced limitations. “Station 44 is a very new station. They've been under the guidance of Mykonos Station 4 since their inception, and this callout was one of the first ones they operated on their own. Unfortunately, on that day, they did not have a coxswain to take the rescue for them as their crew could not get away from  work.”

With the Station 44 crew unavailable, the NSRI training team stepped in. Bruce and another instructor, Danie Verwey, deployed from head office to help lead the operation. The rescue boat Rotary Onwards was launched with support from three regional West Coast stations. From Lambert's Bay, Station 24 sent their station commander, also a paramedic, to assist on scene, ensuring the patient received medical care as quickly as possible.

The response was not just about completing a successful rescue — it became a vital training opportunity. Bruce highlighted the significance of collaboration in this context: “The regional support between all the stations was absolutely phenomenal. From the Volunteer Support Centre perspective, as the training manager, it's vitally important for us to ensure that everybody has excellent training. Operations like this, where everybody's working together, are exactly the attitude and culture we want to instil in all our volunteers.”

This operation demonstrated the NSRI’s ability to adapt and respond even when a local crew is shorthanded, thanks to its network's depth of experience and camaraderie. It also underscored how volunteers, many of whom balance their roles with full-time jobs, and professional support staff can work in unison when lives are at stake.

Once the injured engineer was safely brought ashore, the patient was transferred to representatives of the shipping company, who arranged for further treatment at Christiaan Barnard Memorial Hospital in Cape Town.

While an emergency triggered the rescue, it became an embodiment of NSRI’s broader mission: to train, empower, and unite rescue personnel across all levels of experience. For Station 44, it was an important early step. For the region, it was a reaffirmation of what’s possible when teamwork, trust, and training come together on the water.