Today Howth Coast Guard attended a water safety awards ceremony in St Lawrence O’Toole School on Seville place. Minister Paschal Donohoe and Garda Chief Superintendent Patrick Leahy handed over Coast Guard Prizes Bags to winners of the Coast Guard Safety Pack art competition; this was part of a follow up to a visit last month by the unit in partnership with Gardai from Store Street and staff from Canada Life Reinsurance.

 

As primary schools now break up for the summer its important the Coast Guard Water Safety message of “No Lifejackets, No Excuse” is followed. Nationally the Coast Guard are issuing Water Safety packs through its network of Coast Guard units, these include wristbands and a safety team folder filled with activities to keep children entertained while also improving their awareness of water safety.

Howth Coast Guard were tasked last night, Wednesday, at 19.00 to Beaumont hospital to prepare the landing site to receive Rescue 116 carrying a patient with a head injury. The patient was transferred to a waiting HSE ambulance on landing.

Incident 40/15

The Howth CG team were requested by Dublin Coast Guard last night to stand by to assist CG Rescue Helicopter 116 at the landing site at Beaumont hospital. The helicopter was routing to Portrane where they were to assist Dublin Fire Brigade with a cliff faller at Tower Bay. Skerries CG and Skerries Lifeboat were also tasked. During the incident the Howth unit were stood down due to low light levels at Beaumont. The helicopter landed at their base at Dublin airport.

Incident 39/15

Yesterday evening the team were invited aboard a Mexican Tall Ship visiting Dublin. The vessel is used as a training boat for Mexican naval cadets.

6 crew members attended and were given given a tour of the boat met with the crew.

Last night while en route back to Howth harbour after visiting the Mexican Tall ship in Dublin port the crew of Howth CG gave assistance to four swimmers at Balscadden. They were in an area which was going to be difficult to return to the car park without putting themselves at risk on the dangerous access cliff path. There had been a faller at that location earlier in the week.

One of them was suffering with mild hypothermia and was treated on scene.

Incident 38/15

Howth Coast Guard were tasked at 20.50 last night to prepare the landing site at Beaumont hospital for CG helicopter Rescue 116. It was performing an urgent medical transfer from Cavan GAA pitch. The unit stood down from an incident at Red Rock Sutton where the Dublin Fire Brigade had a gorse fire under control and went to the landing site. Rescue 116 routed quickly to the hospital site where the unit members performed a quick transfer to a waiting ambulance. The unit stood down at 22.50 back at base.

Incident 36/15

On Wednesday last the unit's boat and crew conducted a life raft deployment exercise with Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116. The exercise consisted of the helicopter dropping two multi-person life rafts, inflating them by means of a long pullcord while airbourne and then towing them with the helicopter to casualties in the water. It is an exercise conducted regularly to practise mass casualty rescue by air and water assets. The casualties in the water were Howth CG members.

Towards the end of the exercise the boat and crew were diverted to stand by at Claremont beach in Howth as two people were cut off by the tide and were getting assistance from kayakers to get ashore. No further assistance required.

Incident 34/15

On Saturday at 18.33 Howth were tasked to a boat which had broken it's moorings at Donabate. After further investigation it was discovered that the boat was at the north of Donabate in the Rogerstown inlet. The tasking was then passed on to our flank Coast Guard unit in Skerries who would have a shorter response time to that area.

At 19.36 the unit were then tasked to a report of a jetskier who had not returned to Howth harbour. Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 and Howth Lifeboat were also tasked.
Howth LIfeboat quickly found the jetski and it's rider about 1.5km off the East pier. The jetski had broken down. The casualty was not wearing a lifejacket or a wetsuit. The lifeboat returned the casualty and the jetski back to the harbour. An ambulance was requested as the casualty was suffering from hypothermia. All units were then stood down.

Incident 33/15

This weekend Operation “Safe Water” is being carried out in Howth. The operation involves members from An Garda Siochana, the Irish Coast Guard and the Royal National Lifeboat Institute (RNLI); the objective of the operation is to perform a safety review with water users using Howth Harbour in north County Dublin. The operation, the first of its kind in the country, brings the three agencies together with the single aim of improving safety awareness amongst water users.

The RNLI Coastal Safety Team are performing safety checks on lifejackets. John McKenna, Howth RNLI Coastal Safety Officer commented, ‘”A lifejacket is useless if you don’t wear it, but it’s also important to maintain it properly. Three simple steps could help to save your life - check that the gas canister is in good condition and screwed in properly, the firing head is within its expiry date and that a crotch strap is attached securely.’

Declan Howard, Community Safety Officer with the Irish Coast Guard, Howth is leading a team reviewing the essential safety equipment boats entering the harbour should be carrying. “A roadside breakdown is an entirely different situation to one on the water, having no means of communicating your need for help can have grave implications for you as the boat drifts towards rocks or out to sea. The waters in Ireland can offer great enjoyment but if you ignore carrying some of the basic safety equipment you put your crew and yourself at risk of injury or worse”. He also commented “With no phone masts mobile phone reception is hit and miss on the water, you need another plan to get out of trouble”.

The inter agency approach brings all the stakeholders together with the aim to get the water awareness message out there at the start of the summer. The operation involves issuing water safety advice in multiple languages. Based on the success of the operation it is envisaged to have more joint operations during the year.

For extensive water safety information visit www.safetyonthewater.ie

Yesterday the team were tasked to an injured cyclist on the rocks at Bull Wall on Dollymount beach.

Team members treated the cyclist and then transfered him by jeep off the beach to a waiting ambulance.

Incident 32/15