Cliff Rescue - ISIS

Swanage Coastguard IRT Team were this afternoon tasked to assist our local Coastguard Rescue Helicopter 106 'Rescue One-O-Six' in the rescue of a climber who had fallen 75ft 30ft from a remote climbing spot the 'Isis' area, Cattle Troughs, close to the western mile marker, Durlston.

The climber was airlifted to hospital.

**25/04/13 Casualty recovering well. (see comments) - We'll pass his thanks onto the R106 Helicopter Team.

R106 - Ready to winch
(Credit: Dragatis)

R106 - Casualty Extraction
(Credit: Dragatis)

Location: Isis Area, Cattle Troughs, Swanage.

Don't mention the Q word

There is a saying in the emergency services that you don't say the word "quiet" as this tends to suddenly return and bite you.

In 2011 we had 19 callous in April, yet so far this month we have had nothing! There is a clear link to the weather and current financial climate as you only have to look out from the sea front and see very little going on out on the water.

Despite the lack of incidents there is plenty going on in the back ground. The monitoring of the Landslip saw 3 off duty Coastguards at the weekend speak to individuals about climbing up onto the slip itself. We didn't want to spoil their fun however despite the warning signs if they get stuck or injured it will spoil our fun and see volunteers giving up their time to rescue them.

The team is working with Dorset County Council, Purbeck District Council, Swanage Town Council and the Environment Agency on ways to improve the safety of the beach and hopefully some improvements could be made if funding is obtained.

Our role in all this is to continue to monitor the movement, check signage and number the groynes so watch out for a Coastguard with a tin of paint!

A Wartime Admiralty Chart of Swanage - 15 April 1943

A Wartime Admiralty Chart of Swanage - 15 April 1943

Wet Patrol

It might be raining, but the patrol headed out to liaise with partner agencies.

Having visited Studland and the National Trust we then headed up to Durlston Castle to liaise with the Rangers.

Patrols are important to continue checking the area for access and keep the vehicle in good working order.

Walking through history

Anyone who was watching Channel 4 last night may have seen Tony Robinson's " Walking Through History" programme which featured Dorset.

The programme was based around front line Dorset during the Second World War and featured right at the end the visit of Wes Mullen who as an American GI was based in Swanage in 1944 and returned to Swanage last year.

We were lucky enough to meet Wes a truly remarkable man.




The walk that Tony Robinson did is available on the Channel 4 website.

Joint Training

With landslips happening in other parts of the country this week, Swanage Coastguard Rescue Officers were invited down to Swanage Fire Station to work through the Fire Services protocol on landslips.

It's quite surprising how two emergencies services work differently so better to get things right in the training room so if an incident occurs both services will come together for the best of a casualty.

Towards the end of the session the team members disappeared to look at the fire appliances and were rather impressed with the data terminals in the trucks compared to our pen and paper.

Tonight's training session will feed into a multi agency meeting tomorrow morning on the landslip issues in and around Swanage.

Thanks to Phil and Officers at Swanage Fire Station.

Another mud rescue at Lulworth

Despite repeated warnings from partner agencies, another person got stuck in mud down In Lulworth yesterday.

Coastguards, Fire and Rescue and a lifeboat were involved in the rescue.

Ros Evans, Watch Manager Portland Coastguard issued this warning after the latest incident along the Dorset Coast.

Don't Panic We Are On The Case.

Yesterday afternoon the IRT got called to a possible Ordinance (BOMB, DON'T PANIC!!!!) near the parish slipway, on arrival the IRT donned the relevant ppe (sadly we don't have bomb suits) and went to investigate. We were given quite a precise location so it was easy to locate the old piece of cast iron pipe.

On closer inspection we think that it is part of an old outlet pipe that has broken off and with all the rough weather we've been having it has found its way round to the parish slipway. From a distance you can never be to sure, better to be safe than sorry especially on this busy weekend.

News Letter

Purbeck District Council have issued a press release today on the landslips.

There is also a news letter been issued by the agencies involved. The agencies are Dorset County Council, Purbeck District Council, Swanage Town Council, Environment Agency and Maritime & Council Agency.

We want visitors and residents to know the Beach is open however we just ask for you to be aware around the landslips. At certain tides there is a risk of being cut off and the cliff is still moving.

Devon Landslip

The BBC are reporting this lunchtime that HMCoastguard Rescue Teams and the Fire Service have been deployed to a landslip near Shaldon, Teignmouth, Devon twhich has trapped two people in a tunnel that leads to the beach.