AMSA will be closed from 5 pm AEDT Tuesday 24 December 2024, re-opening on Thursday 2 January 2025. Our search and rescue will continue to operate every day (24/7) during this time. See which services are affected.

Search and rescue observer program

Our SAR observer program trains SES volunteers to look for signs of people in distress from the air.

In Australia, we train SES volunteers to be air search observers. This means they are qualified to fly in search aircraft to look for signs of people in distress, both on land and in the water.

The training covers:

  • safety on and around aircraft
  • emergency procedures (including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training and pool drills with life rafts and life jackets)
  • air search operations.

Training is usually carried out with fixed wing search aircraft, but occasionally utilises helicopters.

Last updated: 13 July 2022