18 members of Howth CG Unit were involved in a major SAR incident exercise last weekend. The exercise involved Fire, Rescue, Ambulance and Water units from the Civil Defence alongside the Coast Guard units from Howth and Skerries. Up to 150 rescue personnel were involved searching for about 50 casualties. The Civil Defence had set up a communications base and a mobile medical unit to deal with the injuries. The Civil Defence had six Fire Tenders and crews to deal with fires and chemicals from the crash.

 

The scenario was a plane crash-landing in the Donabate and Portrane area. Howth CG along with Skerries CG unit were asked to conduct a search of the shore for survivors.

Local unit Skerries Coast Guard first conducted a search of the shore in Portrane and on finding an unconsious casuality on the beach they called in Howth Coast Guard’s cliff rescue unit to recover the casuality to safety on the cliff top. The cliff rescue was conducted near the beach car park in Portrane and was viewed by a large crowd of onlookers. RTE television was also there to record the event. The Howth and Skerries search teams then conducted a search of a nearby forest for any any further casualties. Two were recovered and removed to the medical base for further treatment.

The exercise was rounded off with a fly past by Coast Guard Rescue Helicopter Mike Echo Sierra(116).

 

Check out the short Video.

Weather - Dry, Warm, Wind W

Posted by Deputy Area Officer on Wednesday, May 10th, 2006 at 7:29 pm.