Team put through its Paces

On Saturday the team headed to Old Harry Rocks to be assessed for their rope competency re-validation.

The equipment was set up to run various scenarios in front of our Senior Coastguard Operations Officers. On the top of the cliff the team had to display the various recovery methods used.

The rope technicians were sent over the cliff and had to show their skills with the stretcher, rescue sling and emergency procedures.

After about 15 “drops” and recoveries the team were signed off to continue to operate and will continue with the year's training and exercise programme.

Team provide assistance to Injured Cyclist

Whilst the Coastguard are normally associated with incidents on the coast and out to sea, being a category one emergency service we do assist inland too.

The team were made aware of a cyclist who had come off their bike coming down Currendon Hill so proceeded to assist.

Arriving along with colleagues from Ambulance and Police the team provided assistance to the Paramedics.

We wish the cyclist a speedy recovery.

Chapmans Pool

Swanage joined forces with our colleagues from St Albans and Kimmeridge Coastguard today to effect the rescue of a walker who slipped on the Coast Path and broke a leg. 

The casualty was injured in the valley to the West of Chapmans Pool, and although we were able to walk the SW Ambulance paramedics in easily enough, a stretcher carry-out was always going to be difficult, painful for the casualty and not without risk.  On that basis, the Coastguard helicopter attended and airlifted the lady to hospital.

Despite calling on the helicopter, the teams still set up for a cliff rescue; it's always good to have a Plan B, just in case the helicopter can't perform the rescue or gets called away elsewhere. 

Fortunately, all went well and Plan B wasn't required today and we wish the lady a speedy recovery. 

Night Shift

The team's first training session of the New Year saw a full rope set up under floodlights on the land adjacent to our station.

Now you may be thinking "but there are no cliffs there!", and you'd be right.  However this gives us the chance to do a dry run - a full set up - but without having to worry about being close to the cliff edge. Neither do we need to venture far from base, and so we can use maximum time for training rather than travelling.

Before we started, we sent out an advance party to 'mine sweep' the area; dogs are frequently allowed on this grassy area at the edge of the car park, and quite why anyone can't be bothered to pick up after them is beyond me.  The last thing we want to do is to contaminate our ropes and equipment and risk having to write it off, not to mention the health risks to the volunteers on the team.  Six targets were successfully identified and removed before the area was given the all clear.

We practised a number of methods of hauling the casualty back up the cliff - both mechanical in the form of a petrol winch and manual in the form of 3:1 and 5:1 gearing systems which are created by the use of a rope fed backwards and forwards through pulleys a few times.  Reminds me of my 'O' Level Physics - I knew there was a reason we did that!

Who remembers this from school then....?

Everybody took turns at operating the line controllers which we use to feed out the main and safety lines when lowering the cliff technician over the edge, and when we were finally all done we walked back to the station for tea and a warm up.

Slip watch 2019

The team are aware of a recent slip in the northern end of the bay.


The area will be monitored for further movement along with areas up towards Sheps Hollow.


In an emergency please dial 999 and ask for Coastguard

Kimmeridge

The team was tasked to assist SW Ambulance at Kimmeridge today with the carry out of a lady who'd slipped and broken her ankle.

Kimmeridge Coastguard Team was initially tasked along with St Albans, but there weren't enough volunteers from the two teams and so Swanage was also tasked to add manpower.

The carry out itself was along a slippy and stony part of the beach and then up some steps to the ambulance and it was difficult in places which is why the control room tasked three teams.

We are limited to 12 volunteers on a team and it's on days like this we wish we had more. Of our team, three were at work and couldn't get away, one was away sailing, one on holiday and one has returned to University.  The other 6 were either free in Swanage or were able to leave work for a while.  Fortunately our school teacher hadn't started back yet after Christmas so he was one of the 6 who were able to respond.

Once the lady was safely and securely in the ambulance, all CG units returned to their respective stations.

Cliff Rescue at Anvil Point

Following a minor incident on Tuesday,  the team was tasked for its first rope rescue incident of the New Year today.

A young female climber was taken ill part way down the cliff in the Subluminal area and wasn't able to climb out. Her partner called the Emergency Services and the team attended alongside our colleagues from St Albans.

Although the rescue would have been a fairly straightforward rope recovery for the team, straight out of the Coastguard text book and exactly the scenario we train for, the Rescue Helicopter from Lee on Solent also attended and in the event its winchman/paramedic winched the lady up and delivered her safely to the waiting teams at the top and from there to a waiting ambulance.

Rescue 175 lowers its winchman whilst the rope rescue technician stands by.

With a rope system in place, the teams deployed a rope rescue technician anyway to help make sure the couple's gear had been removed from the climb and thus preventing any false alarm calls from people potentially finding the equipment.

Rescue 175 lands near the lighthouse to offload the casualty