The Marine Rescue of Western Australia is a not-for-profit organisation with more than 1,400 volunteers who are tasked with keeping mariners along more than 20,000km (13,000 miles) of Western Australian Coastline safe. Tait partners Omnitronics and Direct Communications are supplying a marine rescue dispatch solution for mariners along the Western Australia coastline.

Western Australia has many challenges keeping the seafaring and boating communities visible, monitored and safe. Tait partners Omnitronics and Direct Communications have delivered a communications solution to 33 coastal locations for the WA Department of Fire and Emergency Services using RoIP (Radio over Internet Protocol). With the backbone of the system being a Tait/Omnitronics integrated solution.

Using a VHF Marine Radio and a network of 38 strategically located marine VHF repeater stations commissioned by both Government and private organisations along the WA Coast, the project connects marine VHF radios to a microphone and a laptop running omnicore Enterprise Dispatch for a user to access those radios.

The upgrade comes on the back of feedback from volunteers and the boating public who identified large gaps in radio coverage along the Western Australian Coastline.

Whilst 16 volunteer rescue group along the coast provide much-needed 24/7 monitoring service to mariners, 7 groups have limited weekend and public holiday-only service, the remaining 15 groups don’t have the volunteer resources to monitor radios at all. In the internet of maritime safety, the organisation aims to provide a 24/7/365 monitoring service that covers the entire coastline of Western Australia and surrounding islands including the Indian Ocean Territories, Christmas Island, and the Cocos/Keeling Islands.

Radio over IP (RoIP) technology was selected to increase safety in less populated areas by being able to monitor radio traffic and respond to incidents using available, yet remotely located operators, i.e., in metropolitan Perth.

Additionally, the technology provides volunteers the flexibility to monitor radios from home or other locations in cases when attending the control room is not feasible, simply with a laptop, mic, and an internet connection.

Installation will be commencing early in the second half of 2022, and is to be completed in time for the Australian 2022/2023 summer season. The official Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) RoIP Project announcement is available above.