Testing cliff top training passed with flying colours for Yorkshire & Lincolnshire - could it be YOU next?

A hotelier, retired teacher and pool lifeguard have all successfully passed tough rope rescue training for HM Coastguard.
Rob Bennett, hotelier, Ross Mainprize, council pool lifeguard, who are both from Bridlington Coastguard Rescue Team and Kim Siddal, retired secondary school teacher, from Scarborough Coastguard Rescue Team, all passed the stringent tests.
It’s part of HM Coastguard’s commitment to providing top level training for teams, so they can help those who find themselves in trouble at the coast.

One of those roles is as a cliff (rope) rescue technician. They are the person who has to go over the cliff to rescue anyone in trouble. Without that rope rescue capability, teams would not be able to look after their part of the coast which could lead to potentially dangerous scenarios.
Matthew Atkinson, senior coastal operations officer, said ‘Training matters. If you’ve got yourself into trouble and you’ve called 999 and asked for the Coastguard because you need help, you really want to know that the people coming to rescue you are trained to the highest standard. Your life is in their hands and you want to know they’re safe ones.’
‘Without a rope rescue capability, people using our coastline could be put at serious risk.’
‘Our training is a programme taking a new recruit from a foundation skill level right through to the top competency levels required in the rope rescue syllabus. We train, we encourage and we test our Coastguard rescue officers to make sure they meet all those standards.
‘It takes a special kind of person to volunteer as a Coastguard. They come from all parts of the community but all have a shared trust in each other. We trust our team mates in what they do and in turn that helps the community trust us to carry out these life-saving rescues.
‘But we do need more people on our teams. It could be you helping to save a life or reuniting someone with their family. It’ll stretch you in ways you’ll never expect and you’ll find you can do things you never dreamed of doing. We’re looking for people across an area stretching from Ravenscar to Sutton Bridge in the Wash, Lincolnshire – get in touch. The next set of training could involve you.’
Email Area6@mcga.gov.uk for further details. 

Popular posts from this blog

PRESTWICK SEARCH AND RESCUE HELICOPTER SERVICE LAUNCH MARKED IN CEREMONY

Image
- Prestwick search and rescue helicopter base set to go live in January - The launch of the Prestwick civilian UK search and rescue (SAR) helicopter service was marked today (Thursday 17 December 2015) in a ceremony held at the new Coastguard SAR base at Prestwick Airport. Bristow Helicopters Ltd is operating the search and rescue helicopter service for the UK on behalf of HM Coastguard. The UK limited company was awarded the ten-year UK SAR contract by the Department for Transport in March 2013, representing a £1.9bn investment by the UK Government in the UK’s search and rescue helicopter service. By 2017 the service will be delivered from ten bases in all, strategically located close to areas of high SAR incident rates. The Prestwick base will begin SAR operations when crews begin receiving taskings from the Aeronautical Rescue Coordination Centre (ARCC) in January 2016. Bristow crews are delivering the UK SAR helicopter service on behalf of HM Coastguard with state-of-the-a...
Read more

BOSCASTLE FLOODS: TEN YEARS ON

Image
Boscastle Flooding 16 th August 2004 The storms of Monday 16 August 2004 saw three weeks worth of rain fall in one day. The resulting water began to be funnelled down the valleys surrounding Boscastle and soon the steep roads became rivers. By the time that the water reached the picturesque village, it had picked up enough momentum to become a raging torrent, sweeping into buildings, washing cars away and felling huge trees. Graham King runs the Witches Museum in Boscastle and was also the station officer for the Boscastle Coastguard Rescue Team at the time of the floods: “ My museum is situated next to the harbour near the river ,” says Graham “ and I can see the coastguard equipment store from there. Initially I was concerned that the vehicle and equipment were going to become stranded but I soon began to realise how quickly the situation was deteriorating and called Falmouth Coastguard ” From that point on the villagers and tourists stranded in flood waters were he...
Read more

Coastguard scoops stricken man from surging waves

Image
Senior Coastal Operations Officer Ryan Gray A man facing the threat of being dashed on the rocks by powerful waves was rescued by a coastguard who hauled him o ut of the surging water.   The alarm was raised at about 9.45am at Skippingstone beach, Bangor, on 1 October when a member of the public reported their concern for a person they had spotted struggling on rocks being pounded by the s e a .   The 999 call was picked up at Belfast Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre which swiftly sent Bangor Coastguard Rescue Team (CRT) and the local RNLI inshore lifeboat.   First on the scene was Senior Coastal Operations Officer Ryan Gray who, taking in the situation, quic k ly donned a personal float at ion device a ttached to a line.   As the sea surged, Ryan shouted a warning to the man before, seconds later , a wave picked the figure up and threw him to the shore.   The powerful surge carried him up the beach where Ryan was able to step forward and seiz...
Read more