A marine rescue group in the world's largest export port is facing potential closure next year if funding is not allocated for a new facility.
Marine Rescue Port Hedland (MRPH) is a volunteer-based organisation that engages in missions across 200 kilometres of coastline along Western Australia's north.
The organisation's facility building is used for meetings, monthly training sessions, and planning rescue operations.
MRPH commander Zac Slaughter said the 117-year-old building is extremely run down and $2.7 million is needed for a new space.
"It's always been in poor condition but it's just deteriorated ever since we've been in there," he said.
"We've had several engineering reports completed, and building surveyor assessments on the facility, and they've deemed it uninhabitable."
Volunteers respond to emergencies
In 2018, MRPH was one of the first out on the water after a passenger survived in a helicopter crash which killed the pilot.
Mr Slaughter said having a local marine rescue team can save lives because of their quick response time.
Russell Trowbridge was rescued by MRPH when he got caught in a storm during a fishing trip.
Despite being on boats his whole life, Mr Trowbridge called MRPH when the waves started getting higher than the boat.
"It was a little bit overcast but the weather forecast looked OK," he said.
"It's this time of year. These storms come in and they're just really unpredictable.
"We knew that we were going to be OK, but it was pretty scary at the time."
Mr Trowbridge said lives would be lost if MRPH closes.
"I was just glad that we're here in Port Hedland and the guys were there and able to get to us quickly," he said.
"There's this massive group of volunteers that are willing to go out there and give their time to go and do it.
"So, it just makes sense that it should be supported."
Struggling to get funding
In 2022, the organisation applied for the federal government's Building Better Regions Fund.
But the program ended when Labor came into government in May last year.
"It was pretty disheartening to learn that it was terminated because we thought we had a really good chance of getting that," Mr Slaughter said.
The organisation has secured $337,264 from the Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES).
It is planning to get federal funding through the Growing Regions program, however there is no current information on the eligibility criteria or the application process.
What happens if MRPH closes?
Mr Slaughter said emergency calls would be diverted to Fremantle water police, more than 1,600 kilometres south of Port Hedland, if a new facility was not funded.
"Fewer and fewer people will be getting trained, which means that we won't have any skippers or crew to take the boats out," he said.
"Once we have unqualified people in the group that eventually means that there'll be no-one in our group to launch vessels, go out and perform rescues.
"If we have nobody that's trained there will be no rescues."
A spokesperson for Emergency Services Minister Stephen Dawson said MRPH was not going to close.
The spokesperson said the Emergency Services department was committed to building a new facility, but the estimated cost would be less than $450,000.
"DFES has already budgeted more than $700,000 over this financial year and the next for the construction of a new facility," the spokesperson said.
"The suggested figure of $2.7 million is for a design proposed by the group that is not endorsed by DFES."
