...Trees update

Brmmm zmmm is that the sound of chainsaws?

Find out tonight!

Pesky Trees.

The trees appear to have beaten the Town Council and live on for another day.

But why are we so fussed? Well the trees need to be felled in order that we can commence the construction of the new coastguard station for Swanage.

non-library-photo-of trees.jpg

It's the row in the background that are coming down, namely seven 'Lombardy Poplars'; they actually look quite nice but apparently they're 'orrible things. I've stolen the bit below from some tree website.

"Why You Should Not Plant a Lombardy Poplar!: Horticulturist Mike Durr makes this comment about the species - "I have never recommended, at least while conscious, a poplar." They are canker prone and dirty trees that litter the landscape. Lombardy poplar is a short-lived tree and only survives for twenty or so years. The tree is primarily planted for its columnar form in windbreaks.

Redeeming Features: No redeeming features found. Many horticulturists consider the tree taboo with too many associated problems to ever consider planting."

Reading that I now feel a bit sorry for the trees.

Now you see them, now you don't?

The trees close to the new coastguard station site at North Beach car park are meant to be coming down today!

I'll check when I get home and update the blog!

Agent Eric

I thought yesterday’s blog might stimulate some response but little did I know that the
Station Officer would take it as an opportunity to be frightfully mean to poor Eric (see comments after the blog yesterday).

He's not that old ....to his credit he doesn’t look a day over 75!

Sorry Eric, to cheer you up, a nice photo of you!

Eric's-chopper-at-sunset.jpg

Blast from the past!

Just found this in my collection!

The Grosvenor Hotel, Swanage.

...circa??? Answers on a postcard please.

New signs

This is one of the new signs on the sea front promoting sea safety. These are all a standard design and appearing all round the country, showing local information and dangers.

Each has a unique reference (top left hand corner) and this should be given to the Coastguard if reporting an incident. This reference will then assist the Coastguard in understanding your exact location and if necessary a Coastguard unit can come and find you quickly.

The pictures

View from the top of the cliff down to the car

The undergrowth may have slowed the vehicle down, but it wasn't easy to get through.

The remains of the vehicle

The pictures are used with the kind permission of John Bugler Station Officer St Albans Coastguard.

The vehicle will most likely remain at the location as to recover it will be too dangerous, we urge the public to stay away, and take care if viewing the vehicle from the top of the cliffs.

How do we get there?

As mentioned in a previous blog, the incident on Sunday involved 16 Coastguard Rescue Officers, how do we all get there?

This picture was kindly sent by John Bugler (Station Officer at St Albans). John was the Officer in charge on Sunday as the incident occurred on his 'patch'.

Our official vehicles can only carry 4 people due to the equipment needed, so thankfully some of the other team members bring their 4X4's.

News reports

Following Sunday's incident, as usual the phone was read hot with the press asking lots of questions and getting that special angle to beat its competitors.

As the incident was not on the Swanage patch I referred all the calls to our operations room and in turn to our Sector Manager.

Reading the papers today its interesting the slight differences in the reports.....see if you can spot the difference.

Picture A

Picture B

In Picture A, the item in the circle is in fact a fisherman hut!, had that been the location the whole incident would have been slightly easier to get too.

Picture B is slightly better!

A rather unusual day?

The pager went off at 09.08, I phoned in to be told to get the team together and head up to Emmitts Hill at St Albans head, there is a report of a car over the cliff.

This is serious and someones life depends on us.



We arrival on scene and get a briefing from John Bugler the Station Officer from St Albans



Its amazing in an area of outstanding beauty that there has been such an incident.

The team set up on the top, Rescue helicopter 106 is dropping their winchman

16 Coastguard Rescue Officers (from St Albans, Swanage & Kimmeridge)

1 Coastguard Sector Manager

1 Rescue helicopter - 4 crew

3 Police Officers

The male is airlifted to Poole to be met by further Coastguards and the hospital staff.