Tag Archives: Killaloe Coast Guard

A woman, believed to be in her fifties, who was airlifted to hospital after she became unwell while swimming on Lough Derg, died at University Hospital Limerick (UHL) on Thursday evening. Emergency services were alerted to assist a woman who got into difficulty while swimming near the fishing stands on the Killaloe side of the Twomilegate bathing area. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to the scene at about 6.40pm and arrived to Ballycuggeran within seven minutes practically at the same time as one HSE paramedic. Members of the public had commenced cardiocompulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on a fishing stand near the forest area at Ballcuggeran. This was continued by two advanced HSE paramedics with assistance from Coast Guard members. It is understood that there were a lot of people swimming in the water at the time due to the hot weather. Assistance was requested from the Emergency Aeromedical Service, which sent the HSE’s Cork-based air ambulance, Aeromed 01, to the scene. …

  MEMBERS of Scariff Fire Station recovered the body of a man following a multi-agency emergency response in East Clare on Tuesday night. Clare County Council has confirmed Scariff Fire Brigade was mobilised by Munster Regional Communications Centre to a “River and Other Water Rescue” at Roslara Lake, which is between Tulla and Feakle at 4:33pm on Tuesday. “Following a dynamic risk assessment, two firefighters entered the water in appropriate PPE, and recovered the casualty from the water at approximately 5.50pm into the care of the National Ambulance Service.” The Killaloe unit of the Irish Coast Guard, Shannon Gardai and the National Ambulance Service were also tasked to the incident. Members of Killaloe Coast Guard arrived with their D-Class vessel that would be operated by three boat crew and four volunteers for any required land search. However, by the time Killaloe Coast Guard reached the lake, members of Scariff Fire Station had already brought the body ashore resulting in the …

  The body of a young man has been recovered from the River Shannon in Killaloe on Wednesday evening following a major multi-agency search and recovery operation. It is understood a 19 year-old man from Limerick City fell from a jet-ski into the water, drifted for a while and then went underwater close to the ESB Mill Yard near an area known locally as Between the Waters. There are unconfirmed reports that other people on the jet-ski managed to swim ashore to safety. The young man was recovered by the Killaloe Ballina Search and Recovery Dive Unit at 6.45pm and was pronounced dead at the scene. Following early enquiries, An Garda Síochána are currently treating this matter as a tragic accident. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked at 5.05pm on Wednesday afternoon and launched two vessels -a D-class and Rib in the lake at around 5.25pm. Two ambulances from the National Ambulance Service arrived to the incident – one remained Between …

LOUGH Derg RNLI and Killaloe Coast Guard have been commended for their quick action in rescuing 40 people whose vessel ran aground on Lough Derg at the weekend. On Saturday afternoon Valentia Coast Guard requested Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat to assist the people on a 40ft passenger vessel aground on a rocky shoal off Bonaveen Point on the County Galway shore, at the north-western end of Lough Derg.   At 1.20pm Lough Derg RNLI lifeboat Jean Spier launched with helm Eleanor Hooker and crew Doireann Kennedy and Oisín Higgins on board. Given the large number of people on board the casualty vessel, Valentia Coast Guard also requested Killaloe Coast Guard to launch.  The casualty vessel was spotted aground off Bonaveen Point at 1.35pm. Using local knowledge and electronic navigation tools on board the lifeboat, the RNLI volunteers navigated around two shallow shoals to make a safe approach to the stern of the casualty vessel. Those on the casualty vessel informed the lifeboat crew …

KILLALOE Coast Guard has appealed to members of the public not to block the narrow access road to Pier Head by parking in places where it is impossible for volunteers to pass with their vehicles. Over the past week on a number of occasions access to the Coast Guard station at Pier Head Killaloe has been blocked by cars leaving this cul-de-sac completely inaccessible for its crews responding to emergency calls. No parking signs, which were only erected a few months ago were also illegally removed from the walls on this cul-de-sac route. A Killaloe Coast Guard spokesman appealed to all people using the fantastic facilities at Pier Head to keep the access to the Coast Guard station clear and keep in mind volunteers need to respond to some incidents by towing a rescue boat. The spokesman acknowledged that Killaloe Gardai erected Garda no parking bollards at the start of the laneway, where it is extremely narrow only allowing room …

    Jet ski operators, who drive at excessive speed on Lough Derg, are putting the lives of swimmers at risk, Killaloe Coast Guard has warned. Killaloe Coast Guard was tasked to assist local gardai deal with jet skis being operated at dangerous speeds near Killaloe Bridge on Monday and Tuesday. A number of vessels were requested to return to the relevant slipways and the owners were spoken to by Gardai. A Coast Guard spokesman told the Clare Champion that some jet ski operators were driving at speed of up to 60 kilometres an hour near Killaloe Bridge in a speed limit area of about five kilometres. He said some jet skis were doing “doughnuts”, which is akin to doing a hand break turn on the water, which in turn creates a backwash that causes issues for boats being knocked against jetties and swimmers. During periods of hot weather, he said large numbers of young teenagers are congregating and swimmers …

KILLALOE Coast Guard has greatly enhanced its search capability after becoming an approved drone unit, writes Dan Danaher. Two volunteers have been fully trained on how to use a drone during a search and this footage can be live streamed back for viewing in the new Coast Guard Communications Vehicle, which was obtained last year. Images from the drone can also be sent back to Valentia Coast Guard Coordination Centre, which is significant in terms of directing Rescue 115 to a precise location if a casualty is detected. A drone can be used on most occasions, apart from rain and very strong wind. Officer in charge, Damian Quigley said a drone can search inaccessible areas very quickly. New recruits to Killaloe Coast Guard were shown what to expect if the rescue helicopter had to land in a field to airlift a casualty. Killaloe Coast Guard, Killaloe Fire and Rescue and members of An Garda Siochána from the Killaloe station took …

KILLALOE Coast Guard has repeated its plea to motorists to stop blocking access to its station on the shores of Lough Derg. Amid record temperatures in recent days, visitors flocked to Killaloe to enjoy the water-based amenities. The parking situation in the Pier Head area was described by the coast guard as “unbelievable”, with blatant disregard for signage asking people to keep the entrance to the rescue base clear. The heatwave proved to be a particularly busy time for the coast guard. Volunteers had to respond to a number of calls and found themselves hampered by the presence of abandoned vehicles on approach routes and in front of the entrance to their station. Last Wednesday (July 21), while responding to a call about a vessel disrupting a swimming area, the coast guard encountered a series of obstructions. “While our crews were responding to this call-out the entrance to Pier head was again blocked by cars [that had] been abandoned in …