Search and Rescue simulation for emergency crews at Holkham Estate


A multi-agency training exercise simulating a complicated rescue of a fallen injured horse and rider took place earlier today (Friday 7 December) to prepare emergency crews in the event of a potential incident in Norfolk.

HM Coastguard led the multi-agency training exercise which involved Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service, Norfolk Police, Natural England and the National Trust rescuing a trapped rider from beneath an injured horse on the Holkham Estate.

The staged rescue was designed to test and replicate the response capabilities of the primary responders that would be available and called upon in that area.

As part of the training exercise, HM Coastguard utilised their new all-terrain vehicle and Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service used their specialist horse dummy provided by their large animal rescue team. 

Norfolk Police also took the opportunity to launch their new drone - which has been kindly provided by Mrs Felicity Pugh, the wife of a gentleman who HM Coastguard and Norfolk Police rescued from the Titchwell marshes earlier this year. 

Anthony Garbutt, Senior Coastguard Operations Officer for HM Coastguard said:  ‘Today’s exercise was a great success and we’re grateful for all the emergency services support and special assets based locally that attended.  We are very grateful to the Holkham Estate for allowing us to use their location for the exercise.  It’s clear from today’s training that this area is very well supported by specialist local emergency services. 

‘If there’s one big message to come out of today’s event it’s that people need to let someone know where they going and what time they’ll be home so that an alarm can be raised if they don’t return on time.  This way, the appropriate resources can launch a search quickly if anyone is missing along the coast of North Norfolk.’

 

 

Popular posts from this blog

Label your kit at the coast

Image
Kayaks. Canoes. Paddleboards. What do they all have in common? They’re quite often found on the coastline or drifting out to sea. And if we don’t know who they belong to, we can spend time searching for an owner when they’re home safe and sound. So please help us to help you. Label your kit so that if you do get separated from it, and it turns up somewhere, we can get hold of you. In recent weeks, our Coastguard Rescue Teams have found numerous items such as kayaks and canoes drifting out at sea or abandoned near the shoreline. Unfortunately, some of the items we have found have not had their owners’ contact details written on them nor been reported as missing to the Coastguard. As a result, it makes it difficult for us to find out who it belongs to and also means we can never be completely sure if someone is safe or in the worst case, in trouble at sea. This can place a huge strain on our resources especially during the busy summer period when we have to call upon our Coastgua
Read more

A short history of HM Coastguard

Image
Today HM Coastguard is a world leader in maritime search and rescue. Looking back almost 200 years, the goods, which now travel by road, were carried by hundreds of small ships. Year in year out dozens of ships and hundreds of lives were lost within sight of the coast. Public shock and dismay at the tragedies drove forward the creation of national life saving organisations. Though it’s beginnings lie in those decades HM Coastguard originated not to meet the dangers of the seas but to combat a threat to the country’s economy and security – smuggling. As soon as medieval taxes were charged on imports and exports, people began smuggling. By 1743 th e estimate was that half the tea drunk in Britain was illegally imported and shows that smuggling was highly profitable. Smugglers have often been romanticised but the reality was brutal. Local people lived in fear, with violent reprisals on informers and the murder of revenue officers, while corruption enabled smugglers to evade harsh p
Read more

Emergency Radio Procedures: Does your fishing crew know what to do?

Image
DSC emergency radio procedures                                                              Picture: Planefocus Fitting a Digital Selective Calling radio on your vessel and knowing how to use it in an emergency could save your life.   If the worst were to happen at sea, using a DSC radio correctly can save vital time in getting those in trouble back to the shore.   Calling HM Coastguard with DSC in an emergency significantly helps in locating an incident and providing that help.      Most fixed VHF radios come with built-in DSC, meaning the Coastguard can be called easily and fast.   Assistant Chief Coastguard Matt Leat said:  “DSC means information is sent quickly and clearly so a rescue can begin right away. As well as having a registered personal locator beacon (PLB) per crew member on board, with DSC you’ll be assisting the Coastguard in locating you much faster.   “No one wants to be in an emergency situation and have to use DSC or a PLB, but that does not mean your vessel sho
Read more