Today's patrol

Whilst we call taking the truck out a patrol, the importance of going out is to ensure the vehicle is tested and run in preparation of an emergency.

With the weather going down hill the 1st call was the chain ferry at Studland which had closed this morning due to the high tide and weather.

A few people were braving the weather on Studland beach and then to Middle Beach cafe for a cuppa. We then had to check the track out to Old Harry as it was closed over Christmas due to a landslide. A new gate has been installed and fencing near the Landslip has been improved however the mud was deep so we went no further.

Back to Swanage and we went down to check the slide. We were pleased that people were keeping clear helped by the very low tide. With the rain it's again washing stuff down.




Then finally back to the station to wash the truck down.

Several weather warnings are in place with warnings of rain, sleet and ice.

Swanage Landslip - update

The advice from the partner agencies is to stay away from the slips.




Slow movement on the main slip however the rain tonight will again wash more down.



This is our main area of concern. As I walked down to take this, a lady stopped me to warn me not to go any further as her dog had got stuck in the mud.

The mud is mixing with the sand to make a very sticky mixture, please keep clear.

There is a railway sleeper washed down which three days ago was up the cliff, this is how active this area is.

Cliff Rescue Photos

I was sent an e-mail from a chap Josh, keen to send us some photos of the helicopter cliff rescue the other day; despite problems e-mailing them he's persevered and wow!

I can see why he was keen to send them ...they are rather good!

Always nice to start the year with a successful rescue!

Rescue 106 - In Action
Photo: Josh Samways.

Swanage HMCoastguard and Rescue 106
Photo: Josh Samways

Views around Swanage

Ballard has not been left untouched in recent falls





Lets not forget that people's property has been damaged during the last few weeks.

Hugs all round

Message sent yesterday to Eric, Tom, Crew of Rescue 106 and Portland Coastguard.
Message: Thank you so much for saving my son from Swanage cliffs yesterday. My other son has told me how kind and reassuring your men were, I'd like to send a big hug to you all!
Thank you from the bottom of my heart,
Hug a Coastguard, now there's something to do in 2013

Figures for 2012

It all got a bit busy at the end of 2012 which complicated the final statistics for the year.

Incidents were down again which is good news, this partly down to the weather at the start of the year.

The final incident count for the team was 106 incidents which breaks down as:

2 EOD incidents ( unexploded ordnance )
3 Animal Rescues
50 Maritime incidents
5 Cliff Rescues
14 Medical Incidents
4 Investigations
15 Searches for missing people
13 Other incidents

The Coastguard MRU (vehicle) drove 2227 miles

2251 hours put in by the volunteer team members

August was the busiest month with 36 call outs, the next busiest was December with 12

Sunday at 2pm still remains the team's busiest callout time. Wednesday remains the quietest day.

Biscuits Eaten: Classified

Cliff Rescue at Anvil Point

This afternoon volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers were tasked along with the Portland Rescue Helicopter (Rescue 106) to Anvil Point after a climber was reported stuck on the cliff.

The climber was lifted by the helicopter crew from the cliff to the top of the cliff to be met by Eric and Tom. Having checked the climber was not injured, the helicopter and Coastguard team returned to base.

BBC News report

Swanage Landslips - Final Update.

By way of a final update, for now, on the Swanage cliff slips.

HM Coastguard  have formally requested that the relevant local authorities (Purbeck District Council and Dorset County Council) take full responsibility for the situation following their office closures over the Christmas break. It will be up to these bodies to assess the risk to public safety and decide whether the beach and promenade can be reopened; this will be undertaken in liaison with local landowners.

Naturally HM Coastguard (Swanage) will continue to respond to any emergency incidents on the beach and cliffs.

Our advice remains that the cliff slips, whilst appearing benign, remain active. The risks as we see them are further slipping/cliff falls, persons being cut off by the tide when walking to Shep’s Hollow, and persons getting stuck in the mud/quicksands at the north end of the beach.

Notably on New Year’s Eve Dorset Fire and Rescue (Swanage) were called out to a dog that was reported stuck in the slip under The Pines Hotel, an incident which would normally be dealt with by the Coastguard. This area was cordoned off for public safety.

On arrival I am told that the dog had managed to free itself.

Mudslip along North Beach

In total the volunteer team have put in over 250+ hours dealing with the slips; the majority over the Christmas holiday period. Sadly we have taken a lot of flack for the beach closure, even though we were not the lead agency – just the most visible!

Thank you to those people who have provided their support on Facebook and the Blog.

Oh, and if you fancy doing your bit for Swanage why not consider joining the team?

Beau survives 90ft fall from Old Harry

This is Beau, safely returned to her owners by Coastguards and ILB crew at South Beach Studland this morning.
The one year spaniel was out walking with her owners at Old Harry Rocks when she shot off to chase the sea gulls and fell over the cliff.
Thankfully the tide was in and she fell the 90ft into the water and was spotted by a local fishing boat.
Swanage ILB was launched and the Coastguard IRT dispatched to meet the owner on the cliff top.
A well practised routine swung into action with the ILB crew picking the dog up, the Coastguard picking the owners up and all were reunited at Joe's Cafe over a nice mug of tea.
With many people out enjoying the sunshine, please keep dogs on leads near the cliff.

2013 Recruitment - Coastguard Rescue Service - Swanage

Happy New Year! 

So have you got a New Year's Resolution........?

How about something different? Something really different!

Coastguard Rescue Officer

Swanage Coastguard Team are looking for volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers.

“The volunteer Coastguard Rescue Service provides the UK’s coastal search and rescue capability and as part of Her Majesty’s Coastguard. It can operate separately or jointly with other emergency services and volunteer rescue organisations. It consists of teams of volunteers drawn from the local community, which are fully trained and equipped to carry out search and rescue operations around the coast of the UK.”

In the last 3 years the Swanage Team have attended nearly 500 incidents; we are one of the busiest and most proactive teams in the country.

So, willing to get your hands dirty? Calm under pressure? Fancy being called out in the early hours in all weather to rescue people in distress? Want to help support the local community?

Interested?

If you’re 18 to 65 in age and seek a rewarding challenge then we want to hear from you.

To find out more about becoming a Coastguard Rescue Officer please visit our Coastguard Blog and see the recruitment podcasts top right.

Or contact:-
Gareth Kitching - Deputy Station Officer (DSO) ,
Swanage Coastguard Station,
North Beach Car Park,
De Moulham Rd,
BH19 1NR.

So please give us a call, text message, or e-mail ........ why not do it now.