Date/Time
Date(s): 04/26/2025 - 04/27/2025

Location
San Luis Pass
14001 County Rd 257
Freeport, TX 77541

Instructor(s)
Wimberley Rescue

Contact Email: jeff.conrad@texsar.org

TEXSAR is hosting an RBO Certification/Motorized Boat Operations class instructed by Wimberley Rescue/Rescue3. The Flood Boat Operator course is designed to prepare the boat operator and crew for the response to wide area and urban flood events. The instructors will put the student through real world scenarios designed to teach the operator and their crew how to operate safely and efficiently in flood environments. The course is broken into day and night training events to represent the real-world evacuation needs. Each course begins at noon with a short land-based training then core operator in water skills. That evening we will begin to train in low light and dark conditions. The following morning, we will start again with in-water training focused on evacuation plans and rescue operations. Each operator and crewmember must have completed Swiftwater Rescue (SRT) or Rescue Swimmer prior to the course. It will be a 2-day, 16-hour course covering operations, safety, boat construction and orientation, maintenance and care, start-up procedures, boat crew assignments, equipment, command and control driving skills, rescue and recovery concepts including alongside, throw lines, drag lines, deployed swimmer and advanced tethered swimmer. Boat handling skills to bring the boat and crew within safe approach under stressful situations in static or slow-moving floodwaters. You must attend all segments to get a complete certification.

This certification is required of all TEXSAR personnel to do any operations in a boat. SRT is a prerequisite for RBO. If you have accrued scholarship funds, you have the opportunity to apply those funds to this class (you can check your scholarship fund balance in your SIMS profile).

Location:

• San Luis Pass County Park 14001 County Rd 257, Freeport, TX 77541

Accommodations:

• Accommodations are not provided; hotels are available in Freeport and surrounding areas. Airbnb beach houses are available for rent in the area

Cost:

• New Certification $250.00
• Recertification $125.00
• Audits are not available for this class

IMPORTANT – The cost of the class is non-refundable.

Prerequisite:

• Swiftwater Rescue (SRT) REQUIRED

Schedule:

• Day 1-1200-2300 with a meal break prior to night ops
• Day 2-800-1300

Required PPE:

• USCG Approved PFD Type III or Type V (Preferred Type V Rescue with Tethered Swimmer belt)
• Water Helmet
• Hard sole wetsuit boots or tennis shoes. NO open toes, open heels, open sides, open middle or sandals of any sort. Feet must be completely covered. The only opening should be the one your foot enters the shoe through.
• Wetsuit/Drysuit/Swimsuit appropriate for professional training in public

Suggested Items:

• Sunscreen
• Water in plastic bottles

DO NOT BRING:

• Glass or Styrofoam near the water.

Class Rules:

• No physical horseplay
• No throwing items (this includes rocks, sticks or other objects during class time)
• No smoking while wearing or within 10 ft of any of the PPE. This includes other personnel’s gear.
• No smokeless tobacco/dipping use during skills training or while in the water.
• Cell phones are to be silenced during class. Answering phones is discouraged.
• Successful completion of this course requires promptness.

We will have some extra gear available for use if needed. You must provide your own footwear. If you need to borrow gear, please let us know early by contacting Jeff Conrad at Jeff.Conrad@TEXSAR.org or borrow from another member within your division. All gear is available for purchase at Rescue Gear at a reduced price. The gear list is in the Volunteer Handbook and Policy Manual, page 67. 

Registration will close 4/16/2025

Registration