Tag Archives: coast guard

  THE Irish Coast Guard and RNLI have cautioned that water-based activity on or in the sea should not take place while the current emergency restrictions are in place. Both organisations are highlighting the importance of minimising the risk to Search and Rescue (SAR) volunteer crews, Helicopter crew and other front-line emergency services, through being unintentionally exposed to COVID-19. RNLI and Coast Guard search and rescue services are fully operational but both organisations are urging everyone to follow Government instructions, which are clear – “stay home, protect frontline services and save lives”. While you are allowed out for daily exercise, we do not recommend that this exercise is on, or in the sea and all travel restrictions must be observed. SAR services, including RNLI lifeboat service, Coast Guard helicopter services and Coast Guard units, are still available but every callout has the potential to put additional pressure on SAR services and other front-line emergency services as well as potentially exposing …

AN Post has today (Thursday) issued two stamps marking the Irish Coast Guard’s provision of search, rescue and monitoring services at sea, on the coast and waterways of Ireland.  The stamps designed by Vermillion Design, are based on an original painting by the late Caitriona Lucas, who sadly lost her life in Kilkee while volunteering with the Coast Guard on September 12, 2016. Members of the Irish Coast Guard and Bernard Lucas, widower of Caitriona, unveiled the set of stamps in the GPO while a Coast Guard team displayed the new stamps in Dublin Bay.  The artwork depicts a rescue team working at sea, both in the air and on the water. The scene in the painting was divided into two stamps by Vermillion Design. The Irish Coast Guard responds to maritime and inland search and rescue emergencies with its main objective to reduce the loss of life on lakes, waterways, rivers, sea and coastal areas.  The brave men and …

Gardaí have confirmed that the Coastguard helicopter has recovered two teenagers who got into difficulty swimming in the quarry at Roslevan. The condition of the two boys is not yet known but they have both been taken to University Hospital Limerick. The incident occurred at approximately 4pm today. The Coastguard helicopter was deployed to deal with the situation and the two teenagers were retrieved from the water.  

ACROSS the May Bank Holiday weekend, Kilkee had no coast guard service available in the event of an emergency. A source has told The Clare Champion that the limited service the Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard had been providing was further down-graded, following a recent training incident. It has also been claimed that the current coast guard crew have not recently passed an Operational Readiness Assessment (ORA) in more than two years. The Clare Champion contacted the Department of Transport on Wednesday for a comment on the claims, but it had not responded at the time of going to press. “The coast guard will say that they have a boat. We all know they have a boat but they don’t have a crew. Every time they need to go in the water, they need to bring an instructor down from Maritime SAR to even get on the water to do the training. There are about six people who …

The Irish Coast Guard and the RNLI have issued a joint appeal this Bank Holiday weekend for people to be vigilant and to take care on the water and along the coastline. It comes as both organisations note that August was the busiest month for coastal recreational incidents last year. Irish lifeboat crews last August alone responded 217 times to emergencies at sea. With the summer holidays in full swing, it has been a busy time for the search and rescue agencies and this Bank Holiday weekend, the two organisations are warning people to be vigilant and take heed of some simple safety advice. While summer air temperatures may be warm, Irish waters rarely exceed 15C, making them cold enough year-round to trigger cold water shock, which causes the instinctive reaction to gasp and swim hard, which can quickly lead to drowning. As part of its drowning prevention campaign, Respect the Water, the RNLI is calling on the public to …

IRISH Coast Guard operations manager Declan Geoghegan has confirmed to The Clare Champion that the Kilkee Coast Guard Unit is likely to be fully operational in the coming week. However, the town will be without the service for the June Bank Holiday weekend, which is traditionally one of the busiest of the summer season in Kilkee. Following the tragic death of coast guard volunteer, Catríona Lucas, on September 12, 2016, the Kilkee unit ceased to provide a full water-based search and rescue service. The unit has not been fully operational in the town for nine months, which is the longest inactive period since the Kilkee Marine Rescue and Recovery Service was established in 1981. Mr Geoghegan confirmed that training has taken place for current Kilkee Coast Guard members and that they will be subject to an inspection in the coming days. “We will be putting in an ORA [Operational Readiness Assessment] team. Subject to that, the unit will be on …

THE late Caitríona Lucas was posthumously named Clare person of the year at a ceremony in the Falls Hotel in Ennistymon last night. Over 300 people were in attendance at the Clare Association function, as the award was accepted by the late Ms Lucas’ husband Bernard, her son Ben and daughter Emma. Speaking to The Champion at the Falls, Bernard said “It means an awful lot for all of us, for the family, the extended family, it’s a huge honour.” Bernard, who also volunteers with the coastguard, added, “it’s a very proud night for all of us and it’s a great honour to have. Unfortunately it’s posthumous, but she would be very, very honoured by it.” He also paid tribute to those who have helped him and his family since last September. “We’ve had a lot of support from friends and neighbours. It would have been very difficult without them, but we have great neighbours, great friends and great extended …

The Shannon based Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 115 has this Tuesday evening evacuated a seriously injured crewman from a large Russian fishing vessel approximately 140 nautical miles West of Kerry Head. The operation is being coordinated by the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre in Valentia and is being supported by the Naval ship LÉ Róisín. Crew members from the LÉ Róisín went on board the vessel and assisted with casualty evacuation. Communication support and back up, known as Top Cover was provided by a second Coast Guard helicopter, the Waterford based R117. Weather conditions in the area for helicopter operations were difficult, bordering on marginal for such operations with a strong West South West swell and winds gusting in excess of 35mph. The helicopter is currently routing to University Hospital Limerick, to arrive before 7:30pm, following an essential fuel stopover at Kerry airport. This is the second operation in recent weeks where the LÉ Róisín assisted the Coast Guard in an …