Continued Training

 

Being volunteers , Coastguard teams regularly training to keep their skills up to date. 

The team here training at Old Harry to put a rope technician over the cliff and then recover them.

#999 Coastguard 

No BBQs

 

Whilst colleagues at Dorset and Wilts Fire were dealing with another Heath fire near Wareham which was believed started by a BBQ, the patrol were at Studland asking people to put their BBQ out !  

Please if you are visiting the Purbeck area respect the signage it’s there to protect our environment. 

Platinum Jubilee Party

A slightly different patrol today supporting the wonderful Jubilee Party in the lower high street and Prince Albert Gardens. 

After two years it was great to see so many people out enjoying this very special event. 

Thank you to all those who arranged the day it was an honour to be part of it. 

Air ambulance

 The patrol were just heading out yesterday when the Dorset and Somerset air ambulance started to land at Days Park. 

Heading over to the field the team stood by whilst  the aircraft landed and took the crew to the incident before returning to liaise with the pilots. 

After the incident we were really proud to meet our colleague Chris who had been on the team some years ago.  

Chris had always wanted to be on the air ambulance and we are super proud that he had achieved that dream. 

Always proud to work with our  friends from the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. 

Suspicious object

 

Solent Coastguard requested the team to attend the north end of the beach after a member of the public reported a suspicious object. 

Having sent the photos of the object to a bomb disposal team, they requested a cordon be put in place until they arrived. 

On arrival the Royal Navy team checked the item and removed it for safe disposal. 

Pan Pan

 The patrol were at Studland yesterday monitoring a speed boat which had caught on a five knot buoy when a yacht declared a “Pan Pan” at the entrance to Poole harbour. 

Having lost steerage they were in danger of drifting either onto the beach or on to the chain ferry. 

The patrol arrived on scene to monitor and provide the operations room ( Solent Coastguard) with an update of what was happening. The yacht grounded on the beach just before the chain ferry. 

Another yacht  came to provide assistance along with the harbour master and then the Poole RNLI Lifeboat. 

The lifeboat attached a tow line and managed to pull the vessel free taking it in tow back to Poole. 

Patrolling

 

The team have been out and about this weekend checking routes and access to our key locations in case of emergencies. 

Local knowledge is a key skill in the Coastguard so when there is an emergency the team can respond quickly and safely. 

Often some of the routes change and gate locks become stuck so as well as looking for potential incidents we have engaged with our partner agencies. 

The above picture is at Studland and shows the usual track flooded and another route being found. 

In a coastal emergency 999 Coastguard. 

Medical incident

 The team had a busy Saturday when the patrol were tasked to Ocean Bay and a report of two people fallen from a jet ski. Whilst the patrol were on route the rest of the team along with St Albans Coastguard and Swanage RNLI inshore lifeboat were paged to attend. 

On arrival it was found the pair had safely made it ashore having capsized the craft.  As they were being checked out another incident came in near to the stone quay of a person with a badly broke ankle.  

Both Coastguard teams proceeded and the lifeboat and located a male on a nearby pontoon.  

Treatment was given until the arrival of the air ambulance due to the nature of the injuries. 

Prince Albert gardens was cleared to allow the air ambulance to land safely. 

With everyone working together the male was stretchered to the aircraft and flown to Dorchester hospital. 

Prince Albert Gardens cleared for the Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance 

A multi agency response to a male fallen on a pontoon. 

Don’t take the risk for a photo

 

Yesterdays patrol came across a group of visitors at Old Harry taking it in turns to walk across a “bridge”to take a photo of each other. 

A “bridge” describes a ridge of rocks and is less than half a metre across.

The chalk is deteriorating quite badly at the location and a slip or trip could end in disaster. 

The patrol asked the group to come back and suggested a safer location to take photos. 

We urge anyone visiting the coast to take care near cliff edges and not take risks trying to take photos in these locations. 

In a coastal emergency 999 Coastguard. 

Medical Incident in Durlston Bay

 

The team were paged shortly after 11pm to a medical incident near the zig zag path in Durlston Bay. 

 Tasked to assist the ambulance service the team escorted the ambulance crew down to the incident just above the beach.  

Whilst the ambulance crew were treating the casualty the Coastguard team looked at the options to evacuate the casualty safely from the location .  Due to the terrain and the need to stretcher the casualty back to the ambulance , assistance was sought from the Swanage RNLI lifeboat crew.  

On arrival the Coastguard and lifeboat crew worked together to safely transfer the casualty to the inshore lifeboat and then the larger lifeboat back to the slipway where again the ambulance continued their treatment. 

The team were stood down and returned to station around 1am.