Emergency Services Day with HM Coastguard

To celebrate 999 Day, we spoke with a longstanding coastguard and a potential new recruit about keeping people safe at the coast.

As one of the UK’s emergency services, HM Coastguard stands ready round the clock to help anyone in difficulty at sea or on the coast. 

That capability involves a vast range of activities, from search and rescue to counter-pollution and ship safety – but also a wide variety of people. 

We spoke to one of HM Coastguard’s youngest, 16-year-old Felix Palmer fresh from a week of work experience, and seasoned veteran Coastguard Jonathon Cliff, who has more than 40 years of service under his belt. 

On Emergency Services Day, here’s what being part of the blue light family means to them.

 

Work experience student Felix Palmer tries on Coastguard Rescue apparatus

Felix (16) 

Felix’s face lights up when he recalls the visit to see HM Coastguard search and rescue helicopters at their base during his week of work experience. 

His ambition is one day to be a pilot or an engineer for one of the iconic red and white aircraft. Some of his friends are considering a medical or military career. 

“I think people definitely respect the emergency services” says Felix. 

“I am really interested in pursuing a career in the aeronautical area. If I get the skills, I would like to use them for good – to help rather than for commercial use.” 

He would be following in the footsteps of his mum, Henrietta Palmer, who works at HM Coastguard as Learning Solutions Manager, Technical Training. 

As well as the helicopter base, Felix’s week with HM Coastguard included witnessing the operations room at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Fareham, mud rescue practice, vessel traffic management, and work with data science and engineering. 

Felix said: “The coastguard is so wide-ranging – there's pretty much a job for everyone. There’s such a range of things to do. 

“The systems that they use – I did not realise how in depth they were and how complex they were. I did not realise HM Coastguard operates all the way up the UK to the Shetlands. 

“My mum tells me about HM Coastguard and it always fascinates me, especially the operations rooms – how they work, the systems they use to track the ships, and how the Coastguard fits into the other emergency services.” 

Felix adds: “I definitely have a lot more respect for what goes on at HM Coastguard.”

 

Hornsea Coastguard Station Officer Jonathon Cliff

Jonathon, Station Officer for Hornsea Coastguard Rescue Team (62) 

From daring cliff rescues to searches for missing people, award-winning veteran Coastguard Jonathon Cliff has a lifetime of experience keeping people safe at the coast in Hornsea, Yorkshire.  

Starting with HM Coastguard at the age of 16 in 1979, Jonathon’s 45 years of experience have seen huge changes within rescue technology and coastal safety, but as he’s keen to point out, the core aspects of the emergency service remain the same.  

“We’ve definitely got far busier at Hornsea, as technology has advanced and enabled people to report incidents more easily,” says Jonathon.  

“Throughout my time with the Coastguard, I’ve seen just about everything, from the humorous to the routine and sadly the tragic. But HM Coastguard is all about helping the community, making a difference, and making sure people are safe, and that's never changed.” 

Being part of the emergency services family is a lifechanging commitment, and it’s often something that families make great sacrifices to support. As well as his work as a Coastguard, Jonathon worked for the police for 30 years. 

“Family is key to making our volunteering a success. If lives are at risk, that’s the focus. Families can and do understand, and without my family’s support, I wouldn’t have been able to do this.” 

Offering some friendly words of advice and encouragement to those looking to follow in his footsteps, Jonathon says: “When I was just starting out, there were very wise ‘older’ Coastguards who were ex Royal or Merchant Navy, probably younger than I am now!  

“Rinse every drop of advice, learning and knowledge from the more experienced people around you. Be confident, do your best and focus on what you’re there to do. As emergency services, we’re here to help. Never forget that you’re a very important part of that machine.” 

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

22 September 1914: Remembering HM Coastguard’s greatest loss

Image
  As the nation remembers members of the armed forces lost during military service, HM Coastguard laments the tragic loss of more than 1,000 sailors on 22 September 1914. When we think of the Great War, we think of tremendous battles fought in far-flung foreign lands; Passchendaele, The Somme and Gallipoli being frequently brought to bear in the public consciousness more than a century later.  However, a devastating naval attack closer to home was to lay bare the significant threat posed by Germany's state-of-the-art underwater war machines. Over the course of a dark and fateful day in September 1914, more than 1,400 were to lose their lives aboard three vessels defending the North Sea. Among those lost were a substantial number of coastguards, drawn into military service at the start of war with Germany. The tragedy was to be the greatest loss of personnel in the coastguard service’s history.  Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany A threat to Naval supremacy At the turn of the 20...
Read more