Canadian Coast Guard Inshore Rescue Boat crew completes summer season

News release

IRB North crew during a training exercise in August, 2019, in Rankin Inlet, NU.
IRB North crew during a training exercise in August, 2019, in Rankin Inlet, NU.

September 3, 2019

Sarnia, Ontario — The Canadian Coast Guard’s Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) station in Rankin Inlet, Nunavut completed its second season of providing maritime search and rescue services on Tuesday, September 3, 2019.

The station opened for the first time in June 2018, as part of the government’s Oceans Protection Plan, to improve marine safety in Arctic waters in collaboration with Indigenous communities. This year, the station opened on June 21, and provided essential search and rescue services during the summer boating season.

Throughout this season, the IRB crew participated in training with Rankin Inlet Fire Rescue and Emergency Medical Services, and the Canadian Coast Guard’s Arctic Community Engagement and Exercise Team. These joint exercises helped the crew build strong partnerships within the community and with rescue partners. Crew members spent several hours on-the-water, travelling 542 nautical miles.

The Coast Guard employs post-secondary students through the IRB program to provide supplementary maritime search and rescue services during the busy summer season. In the North, the IRB program is operated by Indigenous post-secondary students. Visit jobs.gc.ca this fall to apply for next year’s crew.

Marine emergencies can be called into the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Trenton 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, at 1-800-267-7270; to a Canadian Coast Guard Marine Communications and Traffic Services Centre by VHF radio (channel 16); or, by dialing *16 on a cell phone.  For additional information on the Canadian Coast Guard's search and rescue services, please visit: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/sar/home.

For more information about the Inshore Rescue Boat North program please visit: http://www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/College-and-Careers/Inshore-Rescue-Boat-North.

Quick facts

  • In the regions where they operate, Inshore Rescue Boat crews are often the first to respond to distress calls from mariners, or to those in need of assistance. They are a vital part of the search and rescue system.

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Media Relations
Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard Central and Arctic Region                    
204-984-4715

XCA.Media@dfo-mpo.gc.ca

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