JFRD Marine Vessels Complete Multi-Agency Boat Operator Search and Rescue Training and Coast Guard Station Mayport

The multi-agency training brought together Marine Response units from the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, St. Johns County Fire and Rescue Department, St. Johns County Sheriff's Office, Nassau County Fire and Rescue Department, the Saint Augustine Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard.

BOSAR was developed by the National Association of State Boating Law Administrators (NASBLA) in partnership with the Coast Guard. NASBLA is the national organization representing boating authorities in all 50 states and U.S. territories, working to advance public policy for recreational boating safety. The program is formally recognized by the U.S. Coast Guard as the national standard for maritime law enforcement and emergency response training.

The course builds a unified response capability across agencies that operate on shared waterways. For JFRD, it reflects the department's continued commitment to a Marine Division training program that was recognized as a national best practice decades ago.

"When someone is in distress on the water, they don't care which agency shows up first. They just need us to be ready and working together. That's what this training is about. Building the coordination that saves lives." said JFRD Director/ Fire Chief Percy Golden II.

In a city with more miles of shoreline than any other in Florida, the job doesn't stop where the land ends.