Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue
Encyclopedia
Slysavarnarfélagið Landsbjörg or the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) is a national association of rescue units and accident
prevention divisions. Its member organizations consist of 99 rescue units, 70 accident prevention and women's divisions and 50 youth sections. Altogether there are about 18,000 (6% of Iceland
's population) volunteers members of the association.
(Slysavarnarfélagið Landsbjörg), about 18,000 volunteers operate in 99 rescue units, 70 accident prevention and women's divisions and 50 youth sections. Those units create a tight safety net country-wide and are ready to react to almost any kind of trauma
or accidents that might occur.
both on land and at sea. To see to diverse tasks, the rescue teams are well educated in their fields and thoroughly trained. They strive to outfit their people to the highest standard, with both personal gear and expensive rescue equipment like car
s, snowmobile
s and boat
s. In recent years, specialisation within rescue teams has increased, making the work more purposeful: land groups, sea groups, diving
groups, advance groups, high-angle rescue groups, search dog groups, etc. Also working within the association is a rescue team for international projects, co-operating with rescue teams in other countries, for example, when major earthquake
s occur, as in Turkey
in 1999.
s, do surveys on safety equipment in vehicles for children, safety education for children in farms during the summer, education forums for Accident Prevention Branches, distributing and giving reflecting safety stickers and firework safety during the New Year. Other tasks are more on need to do basis like, bicycle
and lineskating safety, mountaineering
advice, safety of children in homes etc. This is done in different ways like giving safety lectures, making videos, brochures, books, CD or something else. Following information gives further details of the tasks AP Department is currently working on.
s of dangers in the community, do traffic
surveys, promote and giving reflecting safety sticker
s, raise funds for local accident prevention, talk to children about safety in schools etc.
s, use of alcohol
, smoking
, use of contraceptives and accident prevention. In this class there has been lack of information concerning accident prevention and the department has been preparing teaching materials to make that part possible. It is for children from nine to eleven years old and given by ICE-SAR to schools, for that age group. The teaching materials tell a story about an elf
from out of space that makes a crash landing in Iceland. He comes from the planet Varslys and knows nothing about the way to live in Icelandic society. But he is helped by Icelandic children and they teach him to adapt to the way of life in Iceland and prevent accidents.
s, buildings and home. In each accident he loses one of his heads, until he has only one. Then he starts thinking and preventing having further accidents. The story has been given to kindergarten
s and sold for small price. Also included with the book is a CD
with songs and the story.
s. The survey has been done outside kindergartens in 30 local authorities by members of ICE-SAR, AP branches. This survey gives a clear picture about the use of this equipment. In 2002 10% of children were not fastened and 13% were only fastened in safety belts. But in the year 1996 when the first survey was made 28% of the children were not fastened, so that shows improvement through the years!
s by the coast. It was done because of serious accident on the remote coastline. In 1960 the use of these shelters did change, tourist did start to use them and some were raised in mountain
areas. Today most of these shelters are used as emergency shelters for tourists and ICE-SAR units own them and use them as accident prevention.
, orienteering
, mountaineering, accident prevention and search and rescue on land and sea.
The young people are between the ages of 14-18. There are about 10-20 youths in each youth group
. All the youth groups have at least two youth leaders, which guide them in different activities. The activities are very colorful, the youth groups do fundraising
, compass
, first aid, up sailing
, hiking
, accident prevention, social work
, to learn the role of leadership, visit other youth sections, go to a national youth camp, youth exchange with other European youth groups, etc. The young people are in the youth section until they are 18 years old, then they can join the rescue teams and start a more heavy training.
The groups have meetings every week and often go on weekend trips and in the summer they come together to a national camp that is held in different place every year. It is a camp that gives all ICE-SAR youths opportunity to meet for one weekend and do all kinds of outdoor activities together and have fun. It is held by different youth groups and has various themes each year.
The rescue teams provides them all the equipment for the youth work, they have meetings in their facilities and when the youths go on trips the rescue team helps them out with transportation and other things.
, with Youths of Europe which broaden their horizon in other peoples cultures. There are about 3 groups that do exchange every year and a lot of possibilities in that field.
The association is hosting volunteers from Europe beginning in the year of 2003 that is going to be a great experience for all.
. This outdoors school is for young people aged 14 – 18. It gives young people in Iceland opportunity to see and learn about the youth groups and rescue teams and often they join a youth group after being at the camp. This camp is a six days course where the participants learn how to use compass, first aid, how to be on a boat
and up sailing and of course are many other activities. Also there are shorter camps and other special ordered courses for school kids. The groups who come can choose from great amount of activities what they want to learn and do beforehand.
for youth leaders and they participate in short study visits to Europe in connection with youth exchange. They are most often members in the rescue teams.
, and numerous courses are also offered in rural locations. The school's curriculum
is very diverse, being divided into basic courses for rescuers, advanced courses, professional courses and courses for the general public. Because of the role of rescue teams in civil defence, the school has received some support from Iceland Catastrophe Insurance. Gufuskálar Training Camp on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Here, the association runs a training camp for all rescue work participants.
Most of the training centre students comes from the fishing
fleet. No international requirements are for safety training for fishermen but national law force all fishermen to participate in safety course before they go out to sea for the first time.
Icelandic merchantmen participate in the MSSTC courses though their vessels are not flying the Icelandic flag. They are trained by STCW requirement.
On board the training vessel Sæbjörg there are well equipped classroom
s and space for practical exercise. Average number of students on courses is 25, but on special courses the number is lower. Among the course subject is first aid, sea survival, firefighting and personal safety.
Among the subjects on the courses is Basic sea survival where the students learn how to use life rafts, lifejacket
s, survival suit
s, flares, MOB and personal safety equipment.
Fire
onboard is the most frightening thing a seafarer can think of. At the centre the courses include basic fire-fighting with use of all the equipment needed for that purpose. Onboard the training vessel is a modern space used for BA training.
The Icelandic Coast Guard
helicopter
s play a role on every basic course as the seafarers are trained in methods used with rescue by helicopters as well as they are winched into the helicopter from ship, life raft and from water.
A course at MSSTC makes the difference if your ship runs into an emergency. Don't let your ignorance make you and your shipmates difficulty's in emergency situation.
Shortly after the establishment of the MSSTC an old coast guard
vessel was bought for 1.000 ISK from the Government of Iceland to be used as a safety training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into a school with classroom and training area. The purpose having a training centre on board a ship gave the possibility to go out on the coast to various fishing places for training.
Midsummer of 1998 the Government of Iceland gave the National Life-saving Association of Iceland, now ICE-SAR, the ferry
Akraborg to replace the old training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into training vessel. The first course started in October 1998.
Accident
An accident or mishap is an unforeseen and unplanned event or circumstance, often with lack of intention or necessity. It implies a generally negative outcome which may have been avoided or prevented had circumstances leading up to the accident been recognized, and acted upon, prior to its...
prevention divisions. Its member organizations consist of 99 rescue units, 70 accident prevention and women's divisions and 50 youth sections. Altogether there are about 18,000 (6% of Iceland
Iceland
Iceland , described as the Republic of Iceland, is a Nordic and European island country in the North Atlantic Ocean, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. Iceland also refers to the main island of the country, which contains almost all the population and almost all the land area. The country has a population...
's population) volunteers members of the association.
Member divisions
Under the label of ICE-SARICE-SAR
ICE-SAR is a special unit within the Icelandic Association for Search and Rescue. It is one of less than 15 teams worldwide that has received IEC Classification from INSARAG under the United Nations umbrella....
(Slysavarnarfélagið Landsbjörg), about 18,000 volunteers operate in 99 rescue units, 70 accident prevention and women's divisions and 50 youth sections. Those units create a tight safety net country-wide and are ready to react to almost any kind of trauma
Physical trauma
Trauma refers to "a body wound or shock produced by sudden physical injury, as from violence or accident." It can also be described as "a physical wound or injury, such as a fracture or blow." Major trauma can result in secondary complications such as circulatory shock, respiratory failure and death...
or accidents that might occur.
Rescue units
ICE-SAR has about 100 rescue teams, located throughout Iceland. They comprise over 3,000 volunteers who are always on standby for emergencies. The rescue teams are specialized in search and rescueSearch and rescue
Search and rescue is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger.The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, mostly based upon terrain considerations...
both on land and at sea. To see to diverse tasks, the rescue teams are well educated in their fields and thoroughly trained. They strive to outfit their people to the highest standard, with both personal gear and expensive rescue equipment like car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s, snowmobile
Snowmobile
A snowmobile, also known in some places as a snowmachine, or sled,is a land vehicle for winter travel on snow. Designed to be operated on snow and ice, they require no road or trail. Design variations enable some machines to operate in deep snow or forests; most are used on open terrain, including...
s and boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
s. In recent years, specialisation within rescue teams has increased, making the work more purposeful: land groups, sea groups, diving
Diving
Diving is the sport of jumping or falling into water from a platform or springboard, sometimes while performing acrobatics. Diving is an internationally-recognized sport that is part of the Olympic Games. In addition, unstructured and non-competitive diving is a recreational pastime.Diving is one...
groups, advance groups, high-angle rescue groups, search dog groups, etc. Also working within the association is a rescue team for international projects, co-operating with rescue teams in other countries, for example, when major earthquake
Earthquake
An earthquake is the result of a sudden release of energy in the Earth's crust that creates seismic waves. The seismicity, seismism or seismic activity of an area refers to the frequency, type and size of earthquakes experienced over a period of time...
s occur, as in Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
in 1999.
Accident prevention
Role of Accident Prevention (AP) Department is work to prevent all kinds of accidents. That is done in various ways with or without help of other organisations or companies that work in this field. Some tasks are done on yearly basis like operating traffic wardenTraffic warden
A traffic warden is a non-warranted officer employed by a statutory authority in jurisdictions such as the United Kingdom, Hong Kong and Ireland, to assist in regulating the flow of traffic.- Ireland :...
s, do surveys on safety equipment in vehicles for children, safety education for children in farms during the summer, education forums for Accident Prevention Branches, distributing and giving reflecting safety stickers and firework safety during the New Year. Other tasks are more on need to do basis like, bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
and lineskating safety, mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
advice, safety of children in homes etc. This is done in different ways like giving safety lectures, making videos, brochures, books, CD or something else. Following information gives further details of the tasks AP Department is currently working on.
Accident prevention branches
In ICE-SAR there are 70 AP Branches all over the country. Of those about 40 are very active. The work of the AP Branches is to promote accident prevention in the local community and support the local Rescue team. The AP branches work on different assignments depending on the needs of the local people. About 15 years ago the main mission was to raise funds for the local Rescue teams. Since the mission has been more to general accident prevention and do surveyStatistical survey
Survey methodology is the field that studies surveys, that is, the sample of individuals from a population with a view towards making statistical inferences about the population using the sample. Polls about public opinion, such as political beliefs, are reported in the news media in democracies....
s of dangers in the community, do traffic
Traffic
Traffic on roads may consist of pedestrians, ridden or herded animals, vehicles, streetcars and other conveyances, either singly or together, while using the public way for purposes of travel...
surveys, promote and giving reflecting safety sticker
Sticker
A sticker is a type of a piece of paper or plastic, adhesive, sticky on one side, and usually with a design on the other. They can be used for decoration, depending on the situation. They can come in many different shapes, sizes and colours and are put on things such as lunchboxes, in children's...
s, raise funds for local accident prevention, talk to children about safety in schools etc.
Life skills
In Icelandic primary schools a new type of class has been implemented. It is called Life Skills. The purpose of the Life Skills class is to make the children well educated, informed and responsible individuals in matters concerning daily life. In fact inform them about the society that the live in. For example food habits, use of money, the way to avoid fight and drugDrug
A drug, broadly speaking, is any substance that, when absorbed into the body of a living organism, alters normal bodily function. There is no single, precise definition, as there are different meanings in drug control law, government regulations, medicine, and colloquial usage.In pharmacology, a...
s, use of alcohol
Alcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
, smoking
Smoking
Smoking is a practice in which a substance, most commonly tobacco or cannabis, is burned and the smoke is tasted or inhaled. This is primarily practised as a route of administration for recreational drug use, as combustion releases the active substances in drugs such as nicotine and makes them...
, use of contraceptives and accident prevention. In this class there has been lack of information concerning accident prevention and the department has been preparing teaching materials to make that part possible. It is for children from nine to eleven years old and given by ICE-SAR to schools, for that age group. The teaching materials tell a story about an elf
Elf
An elf is a being of Germanic mythology. The elves were originally thought of as a race of divine beings endowed with magical powers, which they use both for the benefit and the injury of mankind...
from out of space that makes a crash landing in Iceland. He comes from the planet Varslys and knows nothing about the way to live in Icelandic society. But he is helped by Icelandic children and they teach him to adapt to the way of life in Iceland and prevent accidents.
The story of Numi
The story of Numi is about boy which has seven heads. Numi has several accidents involving fireworks, traffic, harborHarbor
A harbor or harbour , or haven, is a place where ships, boats, and barges can seek shelter from stormy weather, or else are stored for future use. Harbors can be natural or artificial...
s, buildings and home. In each accident he loses one of his heads, until he has only one. Then he starts thinking and preventing having further accidents. The story has been given to kindergarten
Kindergarten
A kindergarten is a preschool educational institution for children. The term was created by Friedrich Fröbel for the play and activity institute that he created in 1837 in Bad Blankenburg as a social experience for children for their transition from home to school...
s and sold for small price. Also included with the book is a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
with songs and the story.
Surveys about use of children safety equipment in vehicles
For seven years ICE-SAR has in cooperation with several other organisations and the Traffic safety council, been doing surveys of use of safety equipment for children in vehicleVehicle
A vehicle is a device that is designed or used to transport people or cargo. Most often vehicles are manufactured, such as bicycles, cars, motorcycles, trains, ships, boats, and aircraft....
s. The survey has been done outside kindergartens in 30 local authorities by members of ICE-SAR, AP branches. This survey gives a clear picture about the use of this equipment. In 2002 10% of children were not fastened and 13% were only fastened in safety belts. But in the year 1996 when the first survey was made 28% of the children were not fastened, so that shows improvement through the years!
Emergency shelters
Since early last century ICE-SAR has been raising Emergency shelterEmergency shelter
Emergency shelters are places for people to live temporarily when they can't live in their previous residence, similar to homeless shelters. The main difference is that an emergency shelter typically specializes in people fleeing a specific type of situation, such as natural or man-made disasters,...
s by the coast. It was done because of serious accident on the remote coastline. In 1960 the use of these shelters did change, tourist did start to use them and some were raised in mountain
Mountain
Image:Himalaya_annotated.jpg|thumb|right|The Himalayan mountain range with Mount Everestrect 58 14 160 49 Chomo Lonzorect 200 28 335 52 Makalurect 378 24 566 45 Mount Everestrect 188 581 920 656 Tibetan Plateaurect 250 406 340 427 Rong River...
areas. Today most of these shelters are used as emergency shelters for tourists and ICE-SAR units own them and use them as accident prevention.
Youth sections
Inside the Icelandic association of Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR), there are between 40- 50 youth sections that are spread around Iceland. The youth sections play an important role in the association because how important they are for future recruitment of the rescue teams. Therefore ICE - SAR provides opportunities for young people at the age 14 and over, to learn and practice first aidFirst aid
First aid is the provision of initial care for an illness or injury. It is usually performed by non-expert, but trained personnel to a sick or injured person until definitive medical treatment can be accessed. Certain self-limiting illnesses or minor injuries may not require further medical care...
, orienteering
Orienteering
Orienteering is a family of sports that requires navigational skills using a map and compass to navigate from point to point in diverse and usually unfamiliar terrain, and normally moving at speed. Participants are given a topographical map, usually a specially prepared orienteering map, which they...
, mountaineering, accident prevention and search and rescue on land and sea.
The young people are between the ages of 14-18. There are about 10-20 youths in each youth group
Youth group
Youth group may refer to:* Youth Group, an Australian band* Youth club, a social and activities club for young people* Youth ministry, an age-specific type of religious ministry...
. All the youth groups have at least two youth leaders, which guide them in different activities. The activities are very colorful, the youth groups do fundraising
Fundraising
Fundraising or fund raising is the process of soliciting and gathering voluntary contributions as money or other resources, by requesting donations from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies...
, compass
Compass
A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The frame of reference defines the four cardinal directions – north, south, east, and west. Intermediate directions are also defined...
, first aid, up sailing
Sailing
Sailing is the propulsion of a vehicle and the control of its movement with large foils called sails. By changing the rigging, rudder, and sometimes the keel or centre board, a sailor manages the force of the wind on the sails in order to move the boat relative to its surrounding medium and...
, hiking
Hiking
Hiking is an outdoor activity which consists of walking in natural environments, often in mountainous or other scenic terrain. People often hike on hiking trails. It is such a popular activity that there are numerous hiking organizations worldwide. The health benefits of different types of hiking...
, accident prevention, social work
Social work
Social Work is a professional and academic discipline that seeks to improve the quality of life and wellbeing of an individual, group, or community by intervening through research, policy, community organizing, direct practice, and teaching on behalf of those afflicted with poverty or any real or...
, to learn the role of leadership, visit other youth sections, go to a national youth camp, youth exchange with other European youth groups, etc. The young people are in the youth section until they are 18 years old, then they can join the rescue teams and start a more heavy training.
The groups have meetings every week and often go on weekend trips and in the summer they come together to a national camp that is held in different place every year. It is a camp that gives all ICE-SAR youths opportunity to meet for one weekend and do all kinds of outdoor activities together and have fun. It is held by different youth groups and has various themes each year.
The rescue teams provides them all the equipment for the youth work, they have meetings in their facilities and when the youths go on trips the rescue team helps them out with transportation and other things.
Youth exchanges
The groups take part in youth exchange in Iceland and in EuropeEurope
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, with Youths of Europe which broaden their horizon in other peoples cultures. There are about 3 groups that do exchange every year and a lot of possibilities in that field.
The association is hosting volunteers from Europe beginning in the year of 2003 that is going to be a great experience for all.
Youth outdoors school
Over the summer months, ICE-SAR runs an outdoor school at their training center Gufuskálar in SnæfellsnesSnæfellsnes
The Snæfellsnes is a peninsula situated to the west of Borgarfjörður, in western of Iceland.It has been named Iceland in Miniature, as many national sights can be found in the area, including the Snæfellsjökull volcano, regarded as one of the symbols of Iceland. With its height of 1446 m, it...
. This outdoors school is for young people aged 14 – 18. It gives young people in Iceland opportunity to see and learn about the youth groups and rescue teams and often they join a youth group after being at the camp. This camp is a six days course where the participants learn how to use compass, first aid, how to be on a boat
Boat
A boat is a watercraft of any size designed to float or plane, to provide passage across water. Usually this water will be inland or in protected coastal areas. However, boats such as the whaleboat were designed to be operated from a ship in an offshore environment. In naval terms, a boat is a...
and up sailing and of course are many other activities. Also there are shorter camps and other special ordered courses for school kids. The groups who come can choose from great amount of activities what they want to learn and do beforehand.
Youth leaders
All the sections have leaders, they carry out and help the youths organize all the work that the youth group does. Also there is a nation leader meeting every year and they take a part in youth leader courses to become better leaders. The association also gives out a handbookHandbook
A handbook is a type of reference work, or other collection of instructions, that is intended to provide ready reference .A handbook is sometimes referred to as a vade mecum or pocket reference that is intended to be carried at all times.Handbooks may deal with any topic, and are generally...
for youth leaders and they participate in short study visits to Europe in connection with youth exchange. They are most often members in the rescue teams.
Youth supervisor
There is one full employed youth supervisor at ICE-SAR headquarters. His work is to host leaders meetings, courses and coordinate, help and be an assistant for the leaders and the youth sections. He also runs the outdoor school at the ICE-SAR training center and helps planning the national camp and the youth exchange. His work deals with all youth projects that come to ICE-SAR and service’s all ICE-SAR youth groups. If you would like some more information about the work contact the youth supervisor.Rescue school
The association's Icelandic Rescue School is housed in the Skogarhlid headquartersHeadquarters
Headquarters denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top of a corporation taking full responsibility managing all business activities...
, and numerous courses are also offered in rural locations. The school's curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
is very diverse, being divided into basic courses for rescuers, advanced courses, professional courses and courses for the general public. Because of the role of rescue teams in civil defence, the school has received some support from Iceland Catastrophe Insurance. Gufuskálar Training Camp on the Snæfellsnes Peninsula. Here, the association runs a training camp for all rescue work participants.
Maritime safety
Maritime Safety and Survival Training Centre (MSSTC) is owned by Icelandic Association of Search and Rescue (ICE-SAR) and was founded in 1985. A wide wariety of different courses are provided by the Centre which aims on maritime safety.Most of the training centre students comes from the fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
fleet. No international requirements are for safety training for fishermen but national law force all fishermen to participate in safety course before they go out to sea for the first time.
Icelandic merchantmen participate in the MSSTC courses though their vessels are not flying the Icelandic flag. They are trained by STCW requirement.
On board the training vessel Sæbjörg there are well equipped classroom
Classroom
A classroom is a room in which teaching or learning activities can take place. Classrooms are found in educational institutions of all kinds, including public and private schools, corporations, and religious and humanitarian organizations...
s and space for practical exercise. Average number of students on courses is 25, but on special courses the number is lower. Among the course subject is first aid, sea survival, firefighting and personal safety.
Among the subjects on the courses is Basic sea survival where the students learn how to use life rafts, lifejacket
Lifejacket
A lifejacket is a type of personal flotation device designed to keep your airway clear of the water whether the wearer is conscious or unconscious...
s, survival suit
Survival suit
An immersion suit, or survival suit , is a special type of waterproof dry suit that protects the wearer from hypothermia from immersion in cold water, after abandoning a sinking or capsized vessel, especially in the open ocean...
s, flares, MOB and personal safety equipment.
Fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
onboard is the most frightening thing a seafarer can think of. At the centre the courses include basic fire-fighting with use of all the equipment needed for that purpose. Onboard the training vessel is a modern space used for BA training.
The Icelandic Coast Guard
Icelandic Coast Guard
The Icelandic Coast Guard is the service responsible for Iceland's coastal defense and maritime and aeronautical search and rescue. Origins of the Icelandic Coast Guard can be traced to 1859, when the corvette Ørnen started patrolling Icelandic waters...
helicopter
Helicopter
A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by one or more engine-driven rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forwards, backwards, and laterally...
s play a role on every basic course as the seafarers are trained in methods used with rescue by helicopters as well as they are winched into the helicopter from ship, life raft and from water.
A course at MSSTC makes the difference if your ship runs into an emergency. Don't let your ignorance make you and your shipmates difficulty's in emergency situation.
Shortly after the establishment of the MSSTC an old coast guard
Coast guard
A coast guard or coastguard is a national organization responsible for various services at sea. However the term implies widely different responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to being a volunteer organization tasked with...
vessel was bought for 1.000 ISK from the Government of Iceland to be used as a safety training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into a school with classroom and training area. The purpose having a training centre on board a ship gave the possibility to go out on the coast to various fishing places for training.
Midsummer of 1998 the Government of Iceland gave the National Life-saving Association of Iceland, now ICE-SAR, the ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
Akraborg to replace the old training vessel. She was renamed Sæbjörg and converted into training vessel. The first course started in October 1998.