Carnival

Carnival time is fast approaching and the committee have been busy organising the many events for the week.

With the extra visitors to the town, this can increase the number of calls for the emergency services so on Tuesday night Pip, Austen and I met with the executive committee of the carnival to run through a few events where Coastguard assistance may be required.

Lets hope this years event is as successful as previous year (hopefully the weather might improve!).

Other than wishing everyone a safe carnival my only other question is will the Coastguard actually manage to get round with the procession without being called out?

The Command Chair

We have visited the office before.

However this poor old seat "The Command throne" has seen some action.

Normally after an incident, it gets piled up with clothes, then turned round and cleared for someone to sit in to write up the incident in the log.

There isn't much room, just enough for the smallest member of the team to sit there.....the Station Officer then!

Sadly being the throne not many kneel at my feet, but I have requested a new super big chair for the new office.

However my boss said no and in fact he might only get a one legged stool like they use to have on the cliffs!

Contract Awarded

Normally I would add a photo, however I keep getting told off for "Library pictures" and I haven't had a chance to get up to the North Beach Car Park today.

We have heard today that the contract to build the new station has been awarded to a company called Farnrise Construction.

Having looked them up on the net, they are based in Hampshire/Sussex.

Now before all the local builders come looking for me or any of the team, can we point out that we have had nothing to do with the contract at all its all done at a very high level.

Clean Sweep

Very odd; 7:15 this morning the roadsweeper was driving round and round in circles cleaning the area where the new coastguard station will be built.

Either the chap has lost his marbles

or perhaps, just perhaps we might be getting ready to build........

New Building Furniture

Boss, I hear the Sector Manager has given you a catalogue to choose furniture for the new Coastguard Station.

If so, may we have a table football?

Working Together

Last Monday, we got a call reporting someone stuck on Ballard....this wasn't going to be an easy job.
If its the 1st part of Ballard we may have to carry the equipment from Sheps Hollow, further along and we access the cliff from the top so its important to locate the casualty 1st before setting off.
Having all arrived at the station , we searched and searched but couldn't see anyone. One of the team spotted the Rowing club just under Ballard so knowing they listen on a VHF radio we gave them a call......into action goes the rowers at a speed some motorboats would be proud of!

With Steve Vince at the helm we soon established the location and set off, this really did help us and a credit to his crew, but it didn't end there......

When we arrived we found Steve had carefully put one of the rowers ashore who happened to a 1st aider and was treating the casualty who had fallen about 15ft.

So on behalf of the Coastguard, thank you to Steve, Holly and the rest of the crew for a job well done.

It goes to show how well we work together in Swanage.

A little thank you

The original idea behind the blog was to show the building of the new station....as we know we are still waiting for that to start so we have been posting little bits and pieces which we hope show what we do.

Yesterday the blog indicated 10,000 hits from the start and I can not believe its just me, the deputy blog, the team and a friend who are taking time out to read what we have written.

We just want to say thank you and hope you enjoy it. Having just filed a report to my boss about the 1st half of the year, the Swanage Team, together with our colleagues at St Albans, the lifeboat crew and partner agencies have had some difficult incidents so far this year and we are all grateful for the support you show us.

Another step forward

We were told yesterday that the contract to build the new station has been awarded, (sadly we haven't been told who too!)

Contracts are now being signed (4 weeks) and building then can start...14 weeks to build (we will see)

So I make that the 4th (ish) November then!

So that's why I have used a library picture because I reckon those trees will look the same.

Yellow lines - The result

Well the big day did arrive and I really expected the worse.

But what a result, thanks to the Town Hall, we now have a little area to park without the worry of a parking ticket.

Thanks also to Dave Turnbull for taking the picture whilst I was at work.

Its a bit windy

We all took a bit of a blast on last nights incident under Ballard where a male fell about 15ft on to rocks.
Now this is the 1st time we have got real close to Rescue 106 the new Coastguard helicopter, in fact we got very close at one stage.

This aircraft certainly has some down draft (force of the air from the rotors), to say we got shot blasted was an under statement.

A good job from our point of view but a very special thanks to the Swanage Sea Rowing Club who help locate the casualty and then put a member of the crew ashore to assist until we arrived.