Incident: 82/16
Date: 31/12/16 16:00
Incident: Report of KS in difficulty off Burrow Beach. KS self recovered to shore 
Response: CG HW, CG R116, RNLI ILB

Incident 01/17

Shortly before 1pm today the Irish Coast Guard received calls from the public advising waves were breaking over the East Pier in Howth endangering walkers. Two units from Howth Coast Guard attended are still on scene. We are advising the public not to walk down the Pier until well after High Tide, which happened at 1.15pm.

This is first incident of the year and follows a busy year in which in the unit attended 82 incidents in 2016. Nationally the Coast Guard were involved in 2,500 incidents.

Last night two persons unfamiliar with the area got their car got stuck in ditch down a narrow track near Howth Summit. The Coast Guard were contacted by Gardai this morning to ask if they could assist; a unit from the Coast Guard in Howth was tasked and recovered the car and the occupants back to the summit car park.

The two occupants had stayed with the car through the night and were relieved with the assistance. Note, although Coast Guard units are equipped for this, it is not something we normally respond to; in this case considering the duration of time spent in the car it was deemed appropriate.
 
Incident: 81/16
Date: 30/12/16
Response: CG HW IRT.
Location: Howth Summit

​​Incident: 78/16

Date: 26/12/16 09:00

Incident: Heli Landing at Beaumont hospital. CG R118 inbound from Letterkenny. Prepare LZ and assist with transfer.

Response: CG R118 (Sligo), CG HW IRT, NAS, DFB
Location: Beaumont Woods.

​​Incident: 79/16

Date: 28/12/16 16:00

Incident: Heli Landing at Beaumont hospital. CG R116 inbound from Cavan. Prepare LZ and assist with transfer.

Response: CG R116 (Dublin), CG HW IRT, NAS, DFB
Location: Beaumont Woods.

On Tuesday at 16.45 Howth Coast Guard were tasked to check a report from a member of the public of a vessel off Portmarnock beach that may need assistance. Howth RNLI  ILB was also tasked to the area.

Two members of the unit who were in the Portmarnock area went to the location quickly. When Howth ILB arrived on scene the crew spoke to a fishing boat near to the shore but reported it did not require any assistance. The Howth CG members on shore searched the beach but also didn't find any boat. The units on scene were stood down by Dublin MRCC after a thorough search with nothing to report. Considered call with good intent.

Incident 77/16

With the festivities in full swing and when Storm Barbara moves on many people will take to the nation’s beaches and cliffs to take in the fresh air and clear the cobwebs. This can be a busy time of the year for Irish Coast Guard personnel from crews in the air to crews on the coast and not forgetting our control room staff taking in the 112/ 999 emergency calls.

The information communicated in that emergency call is critical; we need to know what has happened and where; the “where” can be tricky. People with the best of intentions can give the location they started off from or are travelling to which could be 10km away from where the actual emergency is. Unlike travelling to a street address access to a cliff or beach tends to be a challenge. Arriving at the right location can save time for our Coast Guard Rescue Teams, time that could save someone’s life.

To do this we’d like you to help us. Tell us your numbers.. not your favourite lottery ones but your GPS co-ordinates, this will give us your location and we can plan the best and quickest way to get to you. .  From Smart Phones these numbers can be easily attained from apps of which they are lots of. Let’s just look at the standard ones that comes with both iPhone and Android.

You’ll see two sets of numbers that give you your longitude and latitude, these are the ones we need. The default setting for Google maps gives you a different gps format (degrees and decimal minutes) than the iPhone Compass (degrees, minutes and seconds). Let’s leave it simple, tell us which phone app you’re using and we’ll work it out. Phone signal can drop in some coastal areas so be prepared for plan b, to get to the nearest house to phone for help.
For iPhone users its quick. Open the Compass app and you have your GPS co-ordinates at the bottom (53° 21’ 44”, 6° 3’ 16”).

​For Android users the quickest way is to simply open google maps drop the red pin beside your location which should be showing on the map and the GPS co-ordinates eg (53.353353, -6.163957) will appear in a dialogue box.

Video: https://youtu.be/KiTkdj5_hDw

On behalf of everyone in the Irish Coast Guard station in Howth we wish you all a very happy and safe Christmas.

The Irish Coast Guard unit in Howth are advising the public to exercise caution near exposed coastal areas during the current stormy conditions which is causing very strong north and north easterly winds.

Today at 2pm three hours before high tide the Coast Guard unit was requested to assist on the East Pier in Howth. Members of the public were advised to avoid walking the pier as waves were crashing over the pier presenting the risk of washing someone off the pier.

Members kept watch until 7pm this evening and are monitoring the storm's development.

Incident 75/16

Incident: 73/16
Date: 1/11/16
Incident: Heli Landing at Beaumont hospital. Person who had fallen off a horse in north county Dublin.
Response: CG R116, CG HW IRT, NAS, DFB
Location: Beaumont Woods.
 
Incident: 74/16
Date: 5/11/16
Incident: Body recovered by RNLI ALB. Condolences to deceased’s family and friends
Response: CG HW Cliff Rescue Team (Full Team Call Out), CG R116, RNLI ALB
Location: Off Howth Head

Incident: 72/16
Date: 25/10/16
Time: 12.45am
Response: CG Clogherhead, RNLI Clogherhead, CG R116, CG HW.
Location: Clogherhead, Co Louth.


Shortly before 1am this morning a full team page was activated. A cliff rescue team were required to assist at an incident in Clogherhead. The team were stood down on route and returned to base. Well deserved praise to Clogherhead Coast Guard and Clogherhead RNLI on the tasking in challenging conditions.

This afternoon at 3.30pm the Irish Coast Guard operations centre received a call reporting a missing jet skier. The Coast Guard team in Howth, Coast Guard Rescue 116 Helicopter and the Howth RNLI lifeboats were immediately tasked.

Search teams combed the water and coastline. About 30 minutes later the Coast Guard Helicopter located the jet skier with his submerged craft North of Ireland's Eye. The Howth lifeboats brought the casualty back to shore to a waiting ambulance. The jet skier who was wearing a Life Jacket didn't have serious injuries.

During the rescue a sighting of someone possibly in the water off Balscaden was reported. Rescue teams were again dispatched and after a search nothing was located.

Finally as teams were wrapping up it was noted that waves were breaking on the East Pier in Howth with people out walking in danger of getting washed over by breaking waves. A Coast Guard team spoke to members of the public and advised them against walking down the pier until after the weather conditions passed, one person was assisted back to safety from beyond the breaking waves. Coast Guard personnel maintained a position on the pier until the high tide receded.

Incidents 70/16, 71/16

Incident: 65/16
Date: 24/09/16
Response: CG HW IRT, CG R115, NAS
Location: Beaumont Hospital

R115 from Shannon inbound with hospital transfer patient and medical staff from Galway University Hospital. Site first inspected by CG team to see if suitable for landing, once cleared R115 made way for LZ. Patient transferred to NAS ambulance. Speedy recovery to patient.

Incident: 66/16
Date: 25/09/16
Response: CG HW IRT, RNLI ILB (Dun Laoghaire)
Location: Dollymount Beach

​Concern for Kite Surfer. Team along with RNLI attended the scene, KS returned to shore unassisted and didn't require any help.. Second KS lost kite, kite details reported to Dublin CG. 

If ever in doubt whether someone is in trouble on the water or not don't delay, call the Coast Guard on 112/ 999.  

Incident: 63/16
Date: 17/09/16
Response: CG HW IRT
Location: Howth Harbour

​Coast Guard personnel were alerted to a person choking. An ambulance was requested and members attended to the patient.

Incident: 64/16
Date: 19/09/16
Response: CG HW IRT, RNLI ILB & ALB
Location: Burrow Beach

​Concern for fishermen on rocks. False Alarm, good intent.

​

It is a new experience for us to lose a Coast Guard colleague in such tragic circumstances and it has brought with it a cloud of shock and disbelief, indeed it’s the first time ever for the Irish Coast Guard to lose someone. Caitriona answered the call, the call that volunteer and full time Coast Guard members do every day and night, whether it’s getting into a helicopter to attend to a long range mission out to sea or getting into a climbing harness to rescue someone who is in distress on the cliffs, the call is answered.
 
Caitriona Lucas was a Mother, a Wife, a Rescue Climber, a Boat Coxswain and a friend to many. A member of the Doolin Unit she was very well respected by all and interacted regularly with many of her Coast Guard colleagues throughout the country during her time. A quiet, unassuming and gentle natured person she was there to help when needed and devoted her life to the Coast Guard. Caitriona who worked as a librarian was also involved with SARDA Search and Rescue Dogs.
 
Caitriona will be very sadly missed by all her colleagues and our deepest sympathy go to her family and our colleagues in Doolin including her husband, Bernard, who is also a member of the Coast Guard based in Doolin.
 
 

Howth CG were tasked on Monday 16th Aug at 14.16 to search the coastline for a vessel which may have needed assistance. MRCC Dublin had heard a Mayday call on channel 16 with no further contact.
The unit commenced a search but were stood down at 15.04 after MRCC were happy it was a false alarm.

Incident: 59/16
Date: 16/08/16
Response: Howth CG
Location: Coastline


Later that evening at 20.00 the unit were tasked to a report of a missing child on Portmarnock beach. After 20 mins the unit was stood down as the child had been found.

Incident: 60/16
Date: 16/08/16
Response: Howth CG, Gardai
Location: Portmarnock

Incident 57/16
Date: 13/08/2016
Response: Howth CGU, HSE, R116
Location: Beaumont Hospital

Yesterday at 14.16 Howth Coast Guard unit was tasked to secure the landing site at Beaumont hospital for Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 116 which was incoming from the Wicklow mountains with a climber who had sustained a head injury when they fell 20mts.

The unit responded quickly, secured the site and assisted the helicopter crew and HSE ambulance crew to transfer the patient to the ambulance on arrival.

The unit stood down at 16.20

​​Incident: 55/2016
Date: Tue 09/8/16
Location: Howth Harbour
Response: CG – IRT (Howth)
Details: Assistance to craft from shore.
 
​Incident: 56/2016
Date: Wed 10/8/16
Location: Burrow Beach, Howth
Response: RNLI – ILB (Howth) ,CG (Howth), LG (Fingal).
Details: Kite Surfer reported in difficulty. RNLI quickly recovered KS from the water and brought him back to shore where CG and LG personnel were standing by. No further assistance required.

The Irish Coast Guard 999 operations centre this evening received an emergency call from the public reporting possible kayakers in difficulty off Red Rock in Sutton. The Irish Coast Guard station in Howth and Life Guards from Dollymount Beach were tasked. The Life Guards launched their 4.6 meter Rescue Rib while Coast Guard personnel went to the shoreline to investigate.

When rescue teams arrived they were faced with challenging weather conditions with offshore winds and the tide dropping resulting in the kayakers being pushed further out into Dublin Bay. The Dollymount Life Guard Rescue Boat located four kayakers on the rocks, one of the kayakers was taken onboard the rescue boat while the other three climbed back up to the cliff path. A further 8 kayakers were then towed back to shore by the Life Guards bringing the total to 9 assisted back to shore.

Upon arrival back to shore the kayakers met with the Coast Guard team, it transpired most of the kayakers were novices and were on board a commercially organised kayaking trip using sit on kayaks. While all were wearing life jackets and wet suits the group had very limited safety equipment with them. The group had no marine VHF radio or distress flares, they hadn't observed the small craft warning in place and hadn't logged their journey with the Coast Guard operations centre.

Thankfully due to quick response of the rescue teams no medical assistance was required for the kayakers, we would ask the public to ensure any trips they take have the above precautions in place and that they have obtained a full safety briefing before partaking in water related activities. For more information visit www.safetyonthewater.ie.

Howth Coast Guard were tasked last night at 22.24 to a report from a member of the public that a person in the Red Rock area of Sutton may be in need of assistance. An initial response team responded quickly to the scene and along with Gardai met up with the person.

The team were stood down at 23.31 after confirming the person did not require assistance. Considered call with good intent.

Incident 52/16

​“Give us a Hand”
 
The warm weather is back at last, the beaches are filling up and Irish Coast Guard units are getting ready for another busy day. We would encourage parents to help us during this good weather.
 
Despite the best efforts of parents sometimes children go missing at beaches. A lost child on the coastline is treated very seriously by the emergency services and responders will immediately be deployed to assist with locating the missing child. This may involve Coast Guard shore teams, boats and helicopters working alongside our colleagues from the Life Guards, Lifeboats and An Garda Siochana.
 
So what can parents do before going to the beach? We encourage them to put an identity bracelet on their child's wrist with their own contact details on it so if their child gets lost a member of emergency services can quickly contact the parent and get them reunited.
 
To help with this the Irish Coast Guard are currently distributing identity wristbands to Coast Guard patrols and Life Guard stations around the country, these are available free to charge to the public. An Garda Siochana have also partnered with the Coast Guard in helping to distribute the bands through their community policing network. The wristband is made of tyvek material which is very strong and difficult to tear, it also water resistant making it ideal for beach conditions. With the help of a scissors the band can be easily removed and disposed of. If you’re going to the beach make sure your child knows where the Life Guards are based in case they do get lost.
 
The wristbands also carry a message reminding the public to call 112 and ask for the Coast Guard for Beach, Water or Cliff Emergencies. 112 is the European wide emergency number, commonly known in Ireland as 999.