Hierarchy of Rescue

Yesterday's blog alluded to something we term The Hierarchy of Rescue.

It is probably THE most important lesson that HMCoastguard teach to all Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs)

So what is it?

It's a safety protocol which might appear surprising at first glance, setting out who's safety is the most important when conducting a rescue. Most people would say the Casualty comes first, in fact they come last; lets explain why.

The most important person to keep safe during a rescue is yourself. There's no point being a rescuer if you are injured or incapacitated because you won't be able to affect a rescue, and team resources are then used looking after, or rescuing you.

The second most important person, or group, is the rest of the Coastguard Team. You need your team to affect a rescue.

The third most important group, are the general public. You don't want others getting injured and needing rescue themselves, again using resources. We will often put in a cordon and ask people to move back as they often put themselves in danger. A member of the public standing next to the edge of a cliff taking exciting photos with a helicopter downdraft is a recipe for disaster. Lots of people get quite uppity about this and complain that we have no right to do so, sadly they put us at risk or distract us. Often a team member (or resource) is then used to hold them back when really that resource should be used in the rescue. You'd be surprised at how many people think they know better.

The final person is the casualty. Just because they are last does not mean we don't care, in fact the whole point we volunteer is that we do care, and want to assist and save lives.

Hierarchy of Rescue - in order of importance.

You
The Team
Bystanders
The Casualty