In our final update of 2020, we brought you the news that our Station Officer Ian Brown has been awarded the British Empire Medal in Her Majesty the Queen's New Year's Honours List. In this, our first blog of the New Year, we look back at Ian's thirty years as part of Swanage Coastguard.
Ian joined the Swanage Coastguard team on 07 October 1990
and a week later participated in his first cliff rescue on the 14 October 1990.
Coastguarding was rather different then; the team was
summoned by maroons, watches were kept on the surrounding sea area from the
lookout on Peveril Point with the team based at the Coastguard Rescue Equipment
Store nearby. Lifeboats, with a few exceptions, moved at 8 knots; RN Wessex
Helicopters (max speed 115knots) provided airborne search and rescue.
Ian became Deputy Station Officer in February 1998 on the
retirement of Ian Surface BEM and Station Officer in July 2002 on the
retirement of Dave Gough.
Change over the last 30 years has been rapid and unrelenting
which Ian has embraced, supported, and led the way.
Ian has qualified as Rope Technician, Water Rescue
Technician, Search Technician and Coastguard First Aid Trainer. He is also an
experienced, qualified, and well-respected Officer in Charge.
Swanage in the 1990s was very much a cliff rescue team, with
rescuing of climbers in locations such as Anvil Point, Boulder Ruckle, Cattle
Troughs very much to the fore. Ian took part in a number of these as the
Cliffman on the end of the rope.
The team also assisted in the search for missing divers from
the cliff top especially in the vicinity of Anvil Point. Ian was especially
proactive in building relationships with the various groups of divers with the
result that education and prevention are an effective way forward.
The trend has been for cliff rescues to be less frequent, with
more complex multi-agency undertakings often in adverse conditions. Ian has proved to be a capable leader and
co-ordinator in several high-profile rescues.
Search has become increasingly the dominant field of
activity of the Swanage Coastguard Team with Ian being a proponent of current
theory, practice and recording. As a
result, the team has a reputation for effectiveness and efficiency. The team has faced a number of multi-day
searches led and supported by Ian in difficult conditions, sustaining long
searches, maintaining morale and protracted, effective effort.
Outside of Coastguarding, Ian is key member of the Swanage Community
Defibrillator Partnership which oversees 35 public access defibs across the
Purbeck area. Ian’s involvement was
initially driven by the death of Mike “Spike” Williamson, a much respected and
long serving member of the Swanage Team.
Coastguarding today involves a high degree of accountability
and the co-ordination of complex multi-agency rescues. One recently involved; Poole
Lifeboat, Coastguard Helicopter, Air Ambulance, Paramedics, an ambulance,
National Trust and the Swanage Coastguard Team. Ian excels in this environment.
Technology has improved: the team is now summoned by an
alerting and tasking app; team members are equipped with individual vhf radio;
clothing and equipment is ever improving. The human element and leadership
remain ever important. Our fellow rescuers are also better equipped with a
Shannon Lifeboat capable of 27 knots and the Coastguard Helicopter (AW189) with
speeds up to 169 knots.
Two thousand and twenty brought with it the complications of
Covid-19 to Search and Rescue. Ian once again bought a calm voice of reason to
a stressful, ever-changing environment, in a busy year which has seen 206
incidents.
Congratulations to Ian on this award, recognising his
leadership and dedication.
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