Lucky escape as walker rescued from cliff face

A walker has had a lucky escape this week, after HM Coastguard teams rescued him from a cliff face in Scotland.

Coastguard Rescue Teams rushed to his aid at Seaton cliffs in Arbroath with the man clinging on, after his companion called 999. He was approximately 10 metres from the top and in a precarious position – and slipping.

It was a race against time to rescue him. Teams from Arbroath, Dundee and Stonehaven were sent to the scene at Dickmont’s Den, alongside the RNLI Arbroath lifeboats and the search and rescue helicopter from Inverness.

They found a cold and tired man in a desperate situation, a finger’s grip away from plunging to almost certain death. A helicopter rescue was quickly deemed too dangerous due to the downdraft, which could have had enough force to dislodge the man from his position, and so the teams geared up to carry out a technical rope rescue.

         đŸ”‡ Video has no sound


David Kerr, Senior Coastal Operations Officer, said: “It was a close call – he was struggling to hold on, and it was a long way to fall. The teams knew they had to get to him and quickly. It was a tough rope rescue in darkness on a steep and crumbling cliff.

“It goes to show how quickly a nice winter walk can turn sour, one decision and suddenly the man found himself gripping on for life. It really can happen that easily and to anyone.

“They were well prepared with the right gear and fully charged mobile phones – they did the right thing in calling for help.

"The cliffs in that area are particularly loose and it can be very easy to end up in a difficult situation. So we do ask people to stay well back, the cliffs around the UK are continually eroding and can become unsteady at any time."

Safety tips from HM Coastguard:
  • Make sure that you are aware of your surroundings.
  • Stay on official paths, whether they are temporary or permanent and take notice of warning signs.
  • If you see a crack in a cliff, don’t be tempted to take a closer look to investigate or take pictures.
  • Make sure that you are properly equipped for walking along coastal paths. In particular remember to wear sturdy shoes or boots and check the weather forecast and tidal times before you set out.
  • Carry a mobile phone, and tell someone where you are going and what time you will be home.
  • Do not attempt to climb up or down cliffs. 
  • Do not attempt to climb cliffs as a short cut back to the top and do not attempt to self-rescue you or your dog if you get into difficulty.
  • If you find yourself in trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard
Rope rescues tend to be used to rescue people from places the helicopter cannot reach            
Picture: Lee Crumpler

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

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