By Foresee Foundation
St. Maarten Sea Rescue Foundation (SSRF) has been a beacon of hope for the seafaring community of St. Maarten for over 40 years, thanks to the unwavering dedication of its volunteers. With two vessels at its disposal, SSRF stands ready to offer life-saving services whenever the need arises. The foundation’s tireless efforts have saved countless lives, and it has become an essential part of the community.
Although the volunteer group is small, SSRF remains optimistic and is always looking for more people to join the team. Volunteering with the SSRF is an incredibly rewarding experience and the foundation welcomes volunteers with various skills, backgrounds, and interests. SSRF also appreciates the support it receives from organizations and individuals, and is grateful for any contribution, big or small.
With the community’s continued support, SSRF volunteers can continue their life-saving operations, as they remain committed to educating the seafaring community about safety at sea. The foundation is a shining example of what people can achieve when they come together and work towards a common goal.
Tell us about Sea Rescue.
St. Maarten Sea Rescue Foundation (SSRF) was founded by volunteers in 1980. SSRF is set out to educate the seafaring community of St. Maarten about safety at sea, as well as offer life-saving services in case of any problems with these same seafarers. Using a fleet of vessels, operated and maintained by volunteers, many operations at sea have been executed during the 40 years of existence. These operations vary from towing rudderless vessels to taking passengers off vessels with broken masts, for instance. Missions have included preventing the Monarch of the Seas from sinking on the Proselyte reef, searching for possible survivors of airplane- or helicopter-crashes, taking persons from sinking vessels, and searching for persons that fell overboard. The volunteers have been on standby 24 hours a day for over 40 years.
What can people/the community do to help Sea Rescue?
Being a non-profit, the SSRF is always looking for organizations and individuals to donate funds, materials, or time towards the cause. Being a voluntary organization, we perform not only the missions through the goodness and availability of these same volunteers, but they are also very busy maintaining the fleet of currently two vessels, as well as training exercises, projects, and other important jobs within the foundation.
What are some things that SSRF needs in order to become more effective?
Currently, the SSRF volunteer group is quite small, and as a result, we may have difficulty finding (trained) crew to be able to launch the vessels in case of an emergency or to perform training and other missions. The foundation would love to invite all people that have some affiliation with the sea or boating to join our team to ensure the availability of our life-saving services to the community. Operational costs for our boats are very high, including the fuel, and without assistance from the community, we are unable to launch our vessels to try and save lives. Any organization that has any affiliation with water sports, boating, or supplies is kindly asked to consider SSRF for donations. Saving lives costs money.
How can someone sign up to volunteer?
Persons interested can reach out to the SSRF through Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or WhatsApp: + 1 721 5204133. Volunteers are very welcome in our organization. As stated above, affiliation with the sea is a plus. However, we also seek volunteers that can assist with other tasks, including but not limited to technical work, fundraising, and awareness projects. It would be a great asset to us if we could find volunteers with a medical background for first aid purposes and training.
