Australasian Rescue Organisation

26/07/2026

🚨 Learn. Develop. Challenge. Lead. 🌊🚤

Know how to gain entry during a flood?

ARO Professional Development Days are designed for everyone—from rescue operators and team leaders to trainers and assessors—providing opportunities to:

✅ Strengthen practical rescue skills
✅ Learn from industry professionals
✅ Explore world’s best practice
✅ Share knowledge across agencies
✅ Bring valuable skills back to your organisation

Find out more about upcoming Boat and Water Rescue PD days here;
https://www.arorescue.org/water-and-boat-rescue-capabilities/

The Professional Development Day preceding the Australasian Water Rescue Challenge and Australasian Rescue Boat Challenge is seperate and gives challenge teams insight into significant rescue incidents and emerging lessons from the past 12 months—some of which may inspire scenarios in the following day’s challenges! 👀

Whether you want to develop as an operator, trainer, assessor or challenge team member, ARO has opportunities for you.

🌐 Visit the Australasian Rescue Organisation website to learn more about:

🔸 Professional Development Days
🔸 Assessor Development
🔸 Australasian Water Rescue Challenge
🔸 Australasian Rescue Boat Challenge
🔸 Future scholarships and international opportunities

Train together. Learn together. Rescue better. 🌏💪🚨

24/07/2026

🌊 World Drowning Prevention Day 🌊

Today, the Australasian Rescue Organisation proudly recognises the rescuers working together to prevent drowning and save lives. 🚒🚑🛟

As a leading multi-agency rescue organisation, and recognised internationally for our practises, ARO delivers realistic, contemporary professional development and Water Rescue Challenges for rescuers across Australasia. These vital learnings strengthen prevention, rescue and emergency medical care when every second counts. 💪❤️‍🩹

Together, through education, preparation and teamwork, we can help prevent drowning and build safer communities. 🤝🌏

Photo: Mannikin CPR after swiftwater extrication by Queensland Fire Department during ARO's annual Australasian Water Rescue Challenge.

Australasian Water Rescue Challenge (AWRC) 2026
Australasian Rescue Boat Challenge (ARBC) 2026

24/07/2026

⚠️🌊 Not all water is created equal... 🌊⚠️

Rough. Aerated. Moving Water (RAM) can quickly turn a routine rescue into one of the most technically demanding operations you'll ever face. 🚤🌪️

Join ARO's RAM Professional Development Day to sharpen your rescue craft handling skills, build confidence, and prepare for the environments where experience truly matters. 💯👨‍🚒👩‍🚒

🚨 Train smarter. Operate safer. Rescue better.

23/07/2026

🚨🌊 ARO WATER RESCUE OPPORTUNITIES 2026 ARE HERE! 🌊🚨

📧 Today we've sent our 2026 Water Rescue Opportunities Information Package to all ARO Member Agencies and ARO Members! 🙌

Inside you'll find everything you need to know about:
🛶 TOOLBOX (Tool Ops On Land, Boats & On-water eXtrication) Professional Development Day
🚤 RAM (Rough, Aerated & Moving Water) Professional Development Day
👨‍🏫 ARO Assessors Workshops
🌏 International Water Rescue Scholarship
🏆 Australasian Water Rescue Challenge (AWRC)
🚤 Australasian Rescue Boat Challenge (ARBC)
🤝 Multi-agency team opportunities
🥇 International Higgins & Langley Award recognition

ARO continues to bring together rescuers from across 🚒 Fire, Rescue, 🚑 Ambulance, 🚨 State Emergency Services, 🏄 Surf Life Saving, ⚓ Marine Rescue, 🚁 specialist rescue agencies and volunteer organisations to learn, share knowledge and build capability together.

👥 If you and your agency are ARO members, many of these opportunities are FREE! Don't miss your chance to learn from some of Australasia's most experienced rescuers, develop new skills, network across agencies and be part of the future of water rescue.

📩 If you haven't received the information package, please check with your ARO member agency, contact us, or explore the water rescue information page here
https://www.arorescue.org/water-and-boat-rescue-capabilities/ or the document link here
https://www.arorescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ARO_Water_Rescue_Opportunities_2026_Agencies.pdf

🌐 Register and find out more: www.AROrescue.org

🚤🌊💙

16/07/2026

ARO is a proud partner of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation. 🇬🇧 ARO member agencies interested in nominating for the UKRO 2026 Festival of Rescue in Road Crash Rescue Extrication and Trauma Challenges can express their interest and seek endorsement to ARO via [email protected]

❤️‍🔥Think your team has what it takes? The UKRO Festival of Rescue 2026 hosted with Essex County Fire and Rescue Service will bring crews together from across the UK to compete in realistic, high-pressure extrication and trauma scenarios.

It is more than a challenge - it is an opportunity to learn, improve and showcase the very best of rescue response. Register your team now: https://ukro.org/?page_id=2729

16/07/2026

ARO is a proud partner of the United Kingdom Rescue Organisation. ARO member agencies interested in nominating for the UKRO 2026 Rope Rescue Challenge can express their interest and seek endorsement to ARO via [email protected]

🪢 Entry for the UKRO National Rope Rescue Challenge, hosted by Nottinghamshire Fire & Rescue Service is open! Two days of intense competition as Fire & Rescue Service teams tackle realistic, high-pressure rescue scenarios, testing skill, teamwork and operational effectiveness from 1-3 October 2026. 📅

The challenge will bring together the very best rope rescue teams from across the UK to showcase skill, innovation and casualty-focused excellence.

This is a unique opportunity to see some of the UK's most experienced rope rescue practitioners push themselves to the limit in demanding environments at iconic locations in and around the historic city of Nottingham.

UK Fire & Rescue teams wishing to enter the UKRO National Rope Rescue Challenge 2026 should contact Nick Croudace
📧 [email protected]

13/07/2026

.🚨🌊 UPCOMING ARO WATER RESCUE OPPORTUNITIES! 🚤🛟

ARO has an exciting program of professional development opportunities, online workshops and challenge events coming up over the next few months! 📅👏

🔧 TOOLBOX Professional Development Day is designed for water rescue operators of all experience levels who are interested in building their knowledge of tools used across the water rescue field—from basic equipment through to more technical tools and rescue applications on land, in water and from boats.

🚤 Rough Aerated Moving Water (RAM) Professional Development Day is specifically aimed at rescue boat operators and will focus on safely navigating, manoeuvring, identifying hazards and conducting rescues in rough, aerated and moving water environments.

💻 ARO will also host online Assessor Workshops for the Australasian Rescue Boat Challenge and Australasian Water Rescue Challenge, followed by the upcoming AWRC and ARBC professional development and challenge events in September! 🏆🌏

✅ Limited places are available, with many opportunities FREE for ARO members within member agencies.

👉Professional Development Register here:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=lBldJC995USpvtfu0nBip-MFI1a4MyhDra9cdqDlSFdUNE8xSDhRQlJFQkxDWjlMMUhVR005OUxUUi4u&origin=Invitation&channel=0

AWRC and ARBC Professional Development Day registration is part of the Challenge registration - details soon.

More information about each opportunity will be released shortly—stay tuned! 📣🌊🚤

Building capability. Sharing knowledge. Improving rescue outcomes. 💙🛟

08/07/2026

🎉🌊 Congratulations to the 2026 ARO International Water Rescue Scholarship Recipients! 🌊🎉

The Australasian Rescue Organisation (ARO) is thrilled to announce the recipients of the 2026 ARO International Water Rescue Scholarship! 👏

Following an exceptional number of high-quality applications from across Australia and overseas 🌏, we are proud to congratulate:

🏅 Anthony Jones – Surf Life Saving New South Wales 🌊

🏅 Dan van Keimpema – New South Wales Rural Fire Service 🚒

Dan and Anthony are also members of VRA Rescue NSW, showing dedication to their local communities.

Both recipients have demonstrated outstanding commitment, leadership and passion for advancing water rescue capability and will soon travel to the Oklahoma State University / RIVERSPORT Swiftwater Rescue Conference 🇺🇸, where they will train alongside some of the world’s leading rescue professionals.

👏 A huge thank you to everyone who applied. The standard of applications was incredibly high, making the selection process extremely difficult. Your dedication to improving water rescue across Australasia is something to be very proud of, and we encourage you to apply again in the future. 💙

Please join us in congratulating Anthony and Dan on this fantastic achievement! 👏🎉🌊

🌊🚒🚤👏💙

Congratulations again to Anthony and Dan on this well-deserved achievement!

05/07/2026

Our thoughts are with the Marine Rescue NSW team today, the Ballina community, local first responders and everyone impacted by tragic events of 4 May.

The Community Memorial Service is being held today to recognise the sacrifice, commitment and service of Marine Rescue Ballina volunteers and local first responders.

The service will be livestreamed from 11:00am for those unable to attend in person. Watch live at mrnsw.com.au/ballinamemorial

02/07/2026

🌊 Final day to apply for ARO Water Rescue Scholarships 🌊

ARO is proud to develop Australasia’s future rescue experts.

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=lBldJC995USpvtfu0nBip-MFI1a4MyhDra9cdqDlSFdURVpHMjVQUDZaM1gwREwzQ0pZWjJaQjROTy4u