Every summer thousands of university and college students across Canada take summer jobs to get experience to help in their future careers.
Many of these jobs are in the retail and service industry, or working in an office or commercial setting. But for students with a sense of adventure, a love of the outdoors, and a desire to help people, the Canadian Coast Guard has a unique summer employment opportunity.
If you are on the water during the summer you might have seen them, they are the Canadian Coast Guard’s Inshore Rescue Boat (IRB) crews. For these students a summer job can mean saving lives and setting a course for a rewarding career.
Established in the mid 1970s to support the Canadian Coast Guard’s Search and Rescue (SAR) activities during the busy summer months in areas with high levels of marine traffic, IRB crews may be tasked by the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) to provide assistance to mariners in distress, including incidents such as a vessel on fire, broken down, taking on water or missing.
The IRB may also be tasked by the Canadian Coast Guard to perform non-SAR activities in support of other marine programs, such as assisting with marine traffic control, checking buoy positions and assisting with environmental response operations.
In 2013, the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy entered into a partnership that enhances the IRB program. Sailors from the Royal Canadian Navy Reserves (RCNR) augment Inshore Rescue Boat Crews and get hands-on small craft and search and rescue operations experience.
Having RCNR personnel as part of the IRB team brings Navy training to the table increasing program effectiveness and sharing of government resources in a cost effective manner. The public benefits by having the expertise of both the Canadian Coast Guard and the Royal Canadian Navy brought to bear on search and rescue capacity in Canadian waters.
The Canadian Coast Guard operates 25 IRB Stations across Canada. In Atlantic Canada there are nine.
In Newfoundland they are located in Conception Bay, Terra Nova Park and Lewisporte.
In Nova Scotia they are located in Halifax, Mahone Bay and Pictou. In New Brunswick the stations are on the Saint John River and in Shediac. On Prince Edward Island there is an IRB station in Charlottetown. They are equipped with fast rescue craft (FRC) capable of operating at speeds of more than 40 knots. From these stations IRB crews patrol the nearby waters and are at the ready to respond to distress calls, provide on-scene assistance and first aid and medical evacuation (MEDEVAC). These activities occur at any time of the day or night, during all types of weather and sea conditions.
Each year, more than 90 students are hired for the IRB program through the Federal Student Work Experience Program (FSWEP). They get hands-on experience in several areas of government operations, while earning a salary that will help pay for tuition.
IRB candidates go through an extensive nationally standardized training program that begins shortly after the end of the school year. Boat handling and seamanship, coastal navigation, search and rescue operations and other areas are covered. Students in the IRB program also learn intangible, but critical skills that will serve them throughout their careers: professionalism, judgment, teamwork, communications and a strong work ethic.
For almost 40 years, university and college students from across the country looking for something more than your average summer job have found adventure, friendship, and a challenging but rewarding experience with the Canadian Coast Guard’s Inshore Rescue Boat Program. Their work is an important part of the Coast Guard’s role in supporting the safety of Canadians.
If you know of a student looking for a great opportunity next summer, they can visit the IRB web site for more information: www.ccg-gcc.gc.ca/SAR/IRB-Background#Conditions_of_Employment
