Inflatable rescue boat

In Australia, upon returning from life guard duties in the UK in 1969, Warren Mitchell OAM of the Avalon Beach Surf Life Saving Club (SLSC) had the idea for a rescue craft that could be deployed quickly under varying surf conditions and was adaptable to different Australian beaches.

Warren proceeded to bring the English 'Dunlop' Inflatable Boat to Australia which was successfully adopted by his local club when the IRB performed a rescue of eight people in November 1969.

Ken Brown soon improved the Zodiac IRB modifying the removable floor and transom, introducing new specifications accepted by SLSA.

The new Zodiac IRB powered by a 25 hp Johnson motor (with propguard): demonstrated a live rescue in a much quicker time than previously experienced.

The motor is test run in a tank of fresh water to check full function and reliability before installation to the transom.

The fuel bladder is filled and installed along with a tow rope, rescue tube, two oars, and a blunt point knife as minimum.

When performing a rescue, the driver must negotiate large surf breaks and possibly obstacles such as rocks or other swimmers to reach the patient.

The crewperson is also primarily responsible for bringing the patient on board, often during extremely dangerous and rapidly changing conditions, and looking after their welfare while at sea.

Once the IRB has been signed off, the boat is taken up to the club where the motor is removed and run in a tank of fresh water for approximately 10 minutes.

This clears the remaining salt water still in the cooling system, and allows for a quick check over of important parts of the motor.

The driver will fill in a checklist and report any faults, problems or issues to the club mechanic before storing the craft and motor.

The course involves a small theory component on basic outboard motor mechanics, pontoon pressure as well as set-up and dismantling procedures.

The practical sessions require learning basic operation and maneuvering techniques as well as gaining the ability to negotiate large, rough surf, with and without a crewman.

Other practical components include: Training typically takes 6–8 weeks, by which time the group members are ready to be assessed by a qualified person.

This changed amidst safety concerns over training procedures relating to the correct positioning of feet and body in the boat.