At 23:39 this evening, a concerned member of the public contacted the Coast Guard’s control centre to report unusual lights off the coast of Skerries. There was concern that the lights could have been from a boat in difficulty near the coast.

The Skerries team were on scene within minutes, facing extremely challenging  weather conditions; Force 7 south easterly winds, heavy rain and reduced visibility. The team quickly located the light and observed it for some time. Nothing unusual was noted and no further action was required.

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty or even if you only think that someone could be in difficulty, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save their life.

Incident # 25 of 2011

Skerries Coast Guard – a voluntary rescue unit of the Irish Coast Guard

home

At 19:55 this evening the Irish Coast Guard’s control centre received a 999 report from a member of the public who had spotted a flare near Loughshinny. The caller, who was on the water at the time, reported the flare to be white in colour and its trajectory resembled that of a marine parachute flare. The Skerries Coast Guard team were immediately dispatched to Loughshinny, 3 miles South of Skerries, to investigate the report.

Weather conditions on scene were favourable with light Force 4 SW winds, fair weather and good visibility. The area was thouroughly searched with nothing unusual noted. No further action requried and the team returned to base.

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty on the coast, even if you only think someone could be in difficulty, diall 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save their life.

Incident # 20 of 2011

home

Skerries Coast Guard rescue vehicle overlooking Lambay Island

 This afternoon, the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate a report of a boat in difficulty off the coast of Rush, approximately 5 miles South of Skerries. A concerned member of the public had contacted the Coast Guard’s operation centre on 999 to report a yacht that appeared to be in difficulty near Lambay island. The weather conditions on scene were extremely challenging and the yacht appeared to be having difficulty making headway. Of most concern was its proximity to the rocky shores of Lambay isalnd. The Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 116 was also tasked from its base at Dublin airport.

Upon arriving at Rush, the Skerries Coast Guard team monitored the yacht and observed that it was successfully making good progress away from the shoreline and no further action was required. Before the Skerries team and Rescue 116 had departed, the Coast Guard’s operations centre received another unrelated report from a member of the public at Rush.

A small boat had been spotted drifting out to sea from Rogerstown estuary. The caller was concerned that there may have been a person on board. The coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 116, quickly located the boat approximately 1 mile West of Lambay island and reported no persons on board. Initial investigations by Rescue 116 suggested that the boat’s mooring rope may have snapped in the rough conditions. Nonetheless, an extensive search of the area was immediately undertaken by Rescue 116 and nothing further was sighted. In the meatnime, the Coast Guard managed to trace the boat’s owner who confirmed that it had broken its moorings and that no persons were on board. No further action was required and the Skerries Coast Guard team returned to base.

Incident # 18 of 2011

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty, even if you only think they could be in difficulty, call 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save their life.

home

Skerries Coast Guard extends its congratulations to the Skerries Community who last night were honoured with a prestigious People of the Year award at a glittering ceremony in Dublin.This award is in recognition of the community’s unrelenting support for the search for the two missing fishermen, David & Ronan, earlier this year.

To view the presenting of the award, check out the video on the Skerries News website. The full awards ceremony can be viewed on RTE player.

home

These prestigous national awards, now in their 36th year, are intended to honour the outstanding contributions made by individuals and organisations to the lives of others. The awards acknowledge the truly inspirational, courageous and talented people within our society.

Throughout the extensive search for Ronan & David, the Skerries community displayed an unrelenting support and dedication in assisting with the search efforts. The entire community was determined to help in whatever way they could.

More information on these awards can be found on the website: http://www.peopleoftheyear.com/

home

The Coast Guard would strongly advise members of the public, if they think that someone could be in difficulty on the coast or cliffs to contact the Coast Guard on 999 or 112. You will then speak directly to an experienced Coast Guard incident controller who will take all the details you have. Please do not hesitate, if you gunuinely believe that someone could be in difficulty then make that call.

The Coast Guard have an impressive array of state of the art search and rescue resources together with highly trained and dedicated crews. However, it is important to remember that these crucial resources cannot be deployed until the Coast Guard become aware that someone needs help. So it is that vital first link in the rescue chain that the Coast Guard are relying on the public’s help. To put it simply; Your call could save a life. 

This poster was designed and developed as a collaborative effort between the Coast Guard teams of Skerries, Howth and Drogheda with the ultimate aim of saving lives. Various public and commercial premises around Fingal have already put the poster on display. Our aim is to spread this vital message to as many people as possible and if you feel you could display the poster on a long term basis at your premises please contact us at skerriescoastguard@gmail.com

This week’s Fingal Independent includes an impressive two page article on this poster launch, featuring photos of the Skerries Coast Guard team – you can read the full article by clicking on the photo link above (opens in same window).

home 

At 19:48 this evening, the volunteers of Skerries Coast Guard were tasked to investigate reports of an unmanned jetski adrift off the Balbriggan coast. A vigilant member of the public contacted the Coast Guard after spotting the object in the water some distance from the shore. The caller believed the object may have been an unmanned jetski adrift.

The Skerries Coast Guard team were immediately tasked to investigate the report. The primary concern in such cases is that the driver may have fallen from the jetski at speed and suffered serious injury. The Skerries team arrived at Balbriggan beach within minutes of the tasking and immediately began a shoreline search. The object was quickly identified and after detailed observation the team established it was a very small leisure craft, with persons on board. The vessel was not in difficulty and no further action was required.

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty on the coast, or even if you only think that someone could be in difficulty, dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Do not assume someone else had made the call.

Incident #16 of 2011

home

At 23:47 tonight the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate a report of persons stranded on Shenick Island, off the coast of Skerries. A concerned member of the public had spotted what they thought could be persons on the remote island. The island is frequently accessible on foot at low tides and unfortunately, in the past, members of the public have been caught out by the incoming tide.

The Skerries team were on scene within minutes and conducted a thorough search of the shoreline. The team did not observe anyone on the island or anything unusual in the area. Visibility in the search area was good with fair weather conditions. No further action was required and the team returned to base.

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty on the coast, or even if you only think that someone could be in difficulty. Dial 999 or 112 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save a life.

Incident #15 of 2011

home

This evening, the Skerries Coast Guard team took part in oxygen awareness training. This interactive session centred on the use of oxygen in pre-hospital medical and trauma emergencies. Oxygen is one of the most commonly used medications in the pre-hospital emergency care environment.

The training session included an explanation of the different types of oxygen cylinders available and the important safety considerations with their use. The team took part in a practical instruction in the use of the common white CD portable oxygen cylinder, which holds up to 460L of compressed oxygen.

The brief also covered the range of oxygen delivery devices used in the pre-hospital emergency care environment, including; non rebreather mask, venturi mask, nebuliser mask, nasal cannula, and the bag valve mask (BVM). The appropriate flow rates for each mask was also discussed along with the resulting oxygen % delivery.

The team explored the vast range of pre-hospital emergency scenarios where oxygen is used and the special considerations required for COPD (Chronic Obstruction Pulmonary Disease) casualties.  The team also received a practical demonstration on the typical oxygen saturation (SpO2) measuring devices used in pre-hospital care, and their associated limitations.

Overall, the evening proved extremely informative and emphasised the importance of awareness of the use of this vital component of pre-hospital emergency care management.  

home

At 18:12 this evening, the Skerries Coast Guard team were tasked to investigate a report of persons stranded by the incoming tide. A vigilant member of the public had contacted the Coast Guard on 999 to report two adults on a rocky island outcrop near Balbriggan. The two people appeared to be waving at passing boats, trying to attract attention.

Within minutes, the Skerries Coast Guard team arrived at the clifftop overlooking the area, known locally as “Long Leg” and quickly spotted the two persons. While it is unusual for someone to remain on the rocks with the tide coming in, the two persons were rod fishing and did not appear to be in need of assistance. Although the next high tide was due within the hour, the height of the tide would not have been sufficient to completely cover the rocks. The Coast Guard made contact with the two people by phone and established that they had planned to continue fishing while waiting for the tide to ebb, and they would then make their way back to the shore later this evening on foot.

With no further assistance required the Skerries Coast Guard team returned to base.

Remember – if you spot someone in difficulty on the coast, even if you only think that person may be in difficulty, call 112 or 999 and ask for the COAST GUARD. Your call could save their life.

Incident #8 of 2011

home