May 27th, 2010
At 21:30 this evening, the volunteers of Skerries Coast Guard were tasked to investigate reports of an unusual object, near Donabate beach. Concerned members of the public had noticed two small objects in the water some 300 metres from the shoreline and fearing that it could be two swimmers in difficulty, reported it to the Coast Guard.
Upon arrival at the scene, the Skerries team spoke to the persons who had first noticed the objects. The team observed the objects and having consideration of the local shoreline, determined that they were not persons in the water. No further action was required and the Skerries team returned to base.
Remember – if you spot something unusual and think that someone may be in difficulty in the water, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Do not assume someone else has made the call.
Incident # 9 of 2010
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Tags: coastal search, donabate
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May 23rd, 2010
Today, several members of Skerries Coast Guard took part in a large scale flood rescue exercise at Malahide. This was organised by the Dublin Civil Defence. Our flank stations of Howth and Drogheda also took part in the training.
The exercise was based on the scenario of a mass evacuation required across the estuary. The Coast Guard teams provided support in the form of rescue boats, shore teams and the Coast Guard helicopter.
More photos are available in our gallery.
Tags: flood rescue, malahide, Training
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May 9th, 2010
The JSAR competition drew to a close on Saturday evening in Mulroy. Having faced several challenging scenarios over the course of Friday evening and all day on Saturday, the various teams gathered for the closing ceremony. First of all, congratulations to Michelle and her team in Mulroy Coast Guard unit for organising such a fantastic competition, even the weather was top notch!
Once again, the Valentia team captured the Kirwin cup. However, the Dublin A team, which included Stephen from Skerries Coast Guard, put in a solid performance to clinch the Shield trophy.
More photos of the event are available in the SCG gallery
The offical JSAR photos are available here
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May 6th, 2010
This weekend, two members of Skerries Coast Guard, Johnny and Stephen, will be heading to Mulroy, Co Donegal at the annual Joint Search And Rescue (JSAR) competition. This competition involves members of both the Irish Coast Guard and members of HM Coast Guard Northern Ireland. Johnny and Stephen have been selected to represent the Coast Guard’s Dublin division at the event. The Irish Coast Guard’s Mulroy unit is hosting the event this year.
Now in it’s 5th year, the JSAR competition aims to increase the professionalism of all participants and to enhance co-operation between both rescue services through friendly competition. At the event, the participants will be faced with a series of realistic emergency situations which they may encounter throughout their rescue services. The competition will test key rescue skills such as leadership, search planning, chart work, first aid, helicopter operations and communications.
More information on the JSAR event is available from www.jsar.ie
You can also follow the latest JSAR news and action from Mulroy’s facebook page.
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Tags: JSAR
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May 2nd, 2010
This morning, the volunteers of Skerries Coast Guard took part in a large scale search and rescue training exercise at Barnageera Beach. This beach is located two miles north of Skerries and with its varied terrain is an excellent location for such training.
The exercise was centered on the scenario of two paragliders colliding in mid air over the cliffs, while one paraglider lands safely on the clifftop, the second falls from view towards the beach. The Skerries team were tasked to search for this casualty, provide appropriate medical treatment and evacuate from the scene.
Once the casualty was successfully located and initial treatment provided, the Skerries team began the evacuation. As this scenario involved suspected spinal injuries, full spinal immobilisation of the casualty was undertaken.
![2010_05_02_0027[1]](http://www.skerriescoastguard.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/2010_05_02_00271.jpg "2010_05_02_0027[1]")
This realistic training exercise was very benefical for the Skerries team. Unfortunately, cliff falls are becoming an increasingly common rescue incident that the Skerries team are tasked to in their response area.
More photos are available in the photo gallery.
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Tags: Barnageera Beach, rescue training, spinal
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April 29th, 2010
The Irish Kitesurfing.ie blog has some useful and practical water safety tips for kitesurfers following on from our recent rescue of a Kitesurfer at the South beach, Rush. Click here to access these posts.
Note: kitesurfing.ie is not affiliated with the Irish Coast Guard. The views expressed on the above link are entirely those of the kitesurfing.ie blog community and not those of the Irish Coast Guard nor Skerries Coast Guard.
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April 26th, 2010
At 20:40 this evening the volunteers of Skerries Coast Guard were tasked to investigate reports of an unusual object ashore on St Patrick’s Island, Skerries. Concerned members of the public had contacted the Coast Guard’s rescue coordination centre in Dublin to report the sighting. The object was on one of the three uninhabited islands off the Skerries coast and resembled a marine sail. There were concerns that it could have been a windsurfer stranded on the island.
The Skerries Coast Guard team arrived at the South Beach and observed the reported object. The team had already spotted this object on the island in recent days, however today’s winds appeared to have blown it to a more obivious location on the shoreline. Several fishing vessels were in the area and nothing unusual was sighted. No further action was required and the Skerries team were stood down from their tasking.
Remember – if you spot anything unusual on the coast, diall 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Do not assume someone else has made the call.
Incident #8 of 2010
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April 23rd, 2010
Latest news!
The mystery of the seal stranded on a Skerries beach and rescued by Skerries Coast Guard has now been solved. The Irish Seal Sanctuary discovered that the young seal had been rescued by a Welsh animal rescue Centre on the 27th November 2009. The seal was successfully rehabilitated and then released on the Welsh coast on the 20th January 2010. She had aged to cross the Irish sea before arriving, exhausted, ashore in Skerries. The latest news from the sanctuary is that she is slowly responding to treatment and will be released back to the wild as soon as possible.
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April 21st, 2010
This evening, the Skerries Beavers paid a visit to the Skerries Coast Guard station. The aim of the visit was for the Beavers to understand the role of the Coast Guard volunteers and to see first hand the rescue equipment they use. The Skerries Coast Guard volunteers also gave the Beavers lots of practical water safety tips. The Beavers were shown how to wear a buoyancy aid correctly. The Beavers also got to ask the volunteers lots of questions about their recent rescues around the Skerries area.
Each summer, the Skerries Coast Guard team hosts these water safety visits on a regular basis from local scout groups, for children from 5 years to 17 years. The overriding aim is to educate the children and young adults with vital and practical water safety advice in a way that is enjoyable and interactive. In terms of water safety, our belief is prevention is better that cure.
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April 9th, 2010
The young seal rescued by Skerries Coast Guard volunteers last week has created a mystery. The Irish Seal Sanctuary are now caring for the seal, named “Mighty”, and have appealed for help from the public in tracing its origins. The seal had a large yellow tag on its flipper stating “Notify London Zoo”. However, London Zoo have stated that it knew nothing about the seal and did not use that type of animal tag.
Irish Times article on Mighty: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0409/1224267974789.html
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