Charity’s role in maritime life-saving work recognised

 RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew from across Ireland took part in today’s (Sunday 27 March 2016) Easter 1916 centenary commemoration which saw over seven hundred members of the Irish emergency services taking part in the biggest parade in the history of the state. The fifty RNLI volunteers came from twenty-nine lifeboat stations around the Irish coast and inland to parade through Dublin City Centre to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising in 1916.  The RNLI formed part of the emergency services section of the parade which recognised the ‘blue-light’ agencies serving the Irish state since its foundation. 

The RNLI contingent was accompanied by a new Atlantic 85 lifeboat, which following its debut in the parade, will be transported to Youghal in Cork to go on operational service, and two RNLI landrovers used in the launching of inshore lifeboats.  

 The parade was preceded by a short ceremony which included a reading of the 1916 Proclamation and the President of Ireland Michael D Higgins laying a wreath on behalf of the people of Ireland, followed by a minute’s silence observed for all those who died during the Rising. 

The parade involved over 3,000 participants, largely from the Irish Defence Forces with 793 people from the emergency services.  Represented along with the RNLI were An Garda Siochána, Dublin Fire Brigade, the National Ambulance Service, St John Ambulance, Irish Coast Guard and the Civil Defence.

Commenting on the commemoration RNLI Operations Manager Owen Medland said, ‘It is a huge honour for the RNLI to take part in this historic event. It is an acknowledgement of the role our volunteers have played in saving lives at sea and on inland waters in Ireland since the RNLI was established in Ireland in 1826. The lifeboat service has been given without any interruption historically and has always put the needs of those in danger on the water above all.

Our volunteers come from all communities and backgrounds and the RNLI is proud of the role Irish volunteers have played in saving countless lives and continue to play today and into the future.’

Many of the volunteers taking part had relatives who were involved in the events of 1916 and the following years. Clifden RNLI volunteer lifeboat Coxswain Alan Pryce is the grand-nephew of Thomas Whelan of Clifden Co. Galway, one of the ‘Forgotten Ten’, who was executed in Mountjoy Prison during the War of Independence in 1921.

Clogherhead RNLI Volunteer Shore Crew member Carolyn Stanley is the grand-niece of Joe Stanley who was Pádraig Pearse’s press agent and printer.  During the Easter Rising Pádraig Pearse relied on his young press agent, Joe Stanley, to convert his hand written communiques into printed documents for onward circulation throughout the city.  It was Joe Stanley who published the First Documents of the newly proclaimed republic.

Fethard on Sea RNLI volunteer Deputy Launching Authority and former lifeboat helm Hugh Burke is the nephew of John Fenlon. Following the 1916 rising in Enniscorty John was arrested and locked up in Wexford jail from where he escaped and remained on the run for seven years.

Lifeboat stations represented at the Easter 1916 parade were Achill, Wexford, Arklow, Lough Ree, Howth, Baltimore, Donaghadee, Dun Laoghaire, Dun Laoghaire, Kilmore Quay, Wicklow, Ballyglass, Clifden, Courtmacsherry, Clogherhead, Dunmore East, Bundoran, Helvick Head, Kinsale, Crosshaven, Portaferry, Youghal, Lough Swilly, Kilrush, Fethard, Red Bay, Union Hall, Skerries and Sligo.

Baltimore RNLI received an an alert from Valentia Coastguard at 09:29 this morning when a young boy in urgent need of medical attention required immediate evacuation from Cape Clear Island.

Coxswain Aidan Bushe along with 5 volunteer crewmen were launched within minutes of the alert in the all-weather Tamar class lifeboat Alan Massey. They proceeded in poor weather conditions to the North Harbour of Cape Clear Island against a swell of 3 metres and force 6-7 northwest winds.

When the lifeboat crew arrived at the pier the little boy was unresponsive. He was immediately stretchered aboard the the lifeboat where he was constantly monitored on the journey back to Baltimore. The lifeboat arrived at Baltimore pier at 10:30, from where the boy was transferred to Skibbereen for medical attention.

The evacuation was successfully completed in one  hour, a remarkable achievement given that current weather conditions have meant frequent cancellation of local ferries.

On board were ; Coxswain Aidan Bushe, Mechanic Cathal Cottrell, crew Sean McCarthy,  Jerry Smith, Ronnie Carthy and Don O’Donovan

The exact cause of the wrecking of the Alondra is not entirely clear. What is known is that the ship ran aground on Kedge Rock. After its grounding sixteen of the Alondra’s crew were able to get  aboard one of three ship’s lifeboats, 

but ended up drowning before they could reach safety. Another man died on board. Meanwhile, the Archdeacon John Richard Hedges

The all weather lifeboat was launched shortly after 1am  and proceeded in good weather conditions to give assistance. Simon Duggan went on board and assisted in taking down the mast and storing sails prior to establishing a tow. The lifeboat then towed the yacht reaching the safety of  Baltimore Harbour at 5am.

On board were; Kieran Cotter Coxwain, Kieran Collins, Sean MacCarthy, Gerry Smith and Simon Duggan

The lifeboat was called out again within the hour when another distressed boat called for assistance – however the search was stood down later as the vessel was located near Courtmacsherry.

On board the Alice and Charles were Helm Jerry Smith with crew Youen Jacob & John Kearney. Slip crew: Tom Kelly, Rianne & Sean McCarthy

Michael Walsh RNLI Safety Officer

The past few months have been quiet at the station in terms of shouts, but work continues with training at sea and ashore. We are delighted that our all weather lifeboat Alan Massey is back on station again. She had been sent to the UK for works in December and she just made it back in time for the crew to attend the lifeboat dinner on 28 February. Congratulations to Aidan Bushe and Ronnie Carthy who received Long Service Badges at the dinner. Both have served on the lifeboat for over twenty years.

A major piece of work has been progressing behind the scenes for the past two years under the steady hand of Michael Walsh our Safety Officer. The Community Lifesaving strategy aims to reduce the loss of life from coastal accidents by 50% by the year 2024. RNLI research has found that serious incidents have not only occurred on traditional coastal activities like sailing and motor boating but also in another eighteen other activities both on and by the waterside. Community Lifesaving Plans have been developed in over thirty locations throughout the UK and Ireland using this research and local lifeboat return of service information. In Ireland Baltimore was selected as the pilot station for implementation of this strategy. This plan will focus on kayaking, commercial fishing and leisure boating with various different interventions being used. These include face to face advice, School and Youth Education and retailer support. The plan aims to end loss of life and the reduce incidents in the Baltimore area through working with the community to help people make safer decisions, provide a safer environment and to ensure rescue cover.

The community plan is being backed up with the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign that launches in July. This campaign is about all about raising the awareness and focus of the sea. We all love getting out on the water – there’s no better way to get outdoors and stay fit. And for many communities the water is a way of life. But our seas, coastlines and inland waterways can be unpredictable and dangerous places.If you take some simple precautions you can significantly reduce your chances of getting into trouble.Whatever your activity, whatever your ability, water is unpredictable. It’s all too easy to underestimate its power. You might think that adrenaline sports and rough weather pose the greatest threat, but casual, everyday use of the coast and sea often causes fatalities. That’s why you need to be prepared in case something ever goes wrong. Changing just one small thing can make a big difference to your safety and help you get the most out of your time on the water. For more information click here

Baltimore lifeboat station has gone through a huge period of growth and development over the past ten years. During that time we have seen an inshore Atlantic 75 lifeboat co-located with a new Tamar class all weather lifeboat. The station house itself has undergone massive change; a new berth and cradle mean that crew can step aboard lifeboats from dry land. The number of volunteers at the station has risen dramatically during this period to. We now have fifty-five volunteers, including lifeboat crew, shore crew and the Sea Safety team, alongside the very important fund-raising and administrative / maintenance functions that are necessary to run a busy station. Most recently two volunteers, Gerald O’Brien and Rianne Smith, have taken on the role of Deputy Launching Authority (DLA) joining Vincent Roantree who was appointed four years ago. Their role is to support the Lifeboat Operations Manager (LOM), Tom Bushe. 

The DLAs play an important role in the chain of command for launching the lifeboats whether it be for a rescue or an exercise. The protocols for responding to an emergency at sea are well defined. A 999 call to emergency services is diverted to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard have an overview of all available rescue assets in an area, which could be RNLI, Coast Guard Units or Community Rescue Services. They will be aware when for example a Search and Rescue (SAR) resource has been taken off service for essential maintenance or if it is already tasked elsewhere. The Coast Guard can set off ILB and ALB crew pagers remotely. This is when they contact the DLA requesting the launch of RNLI lifeboats. The all weather lifeboat is equipped to go to sea in all weather conditions, while the ILB has a more limited range of conditions in which it is safe to launch. This does not happen very often. The DLA takes the names of all crew who have boarded the lifeboat going on service as a safety measure. When exercises are planned the Helm or Coxswain submit an exercise planning form containing names of crew, the area in which the exercise is taking place, the estimated time of departure and arrival back at the station. When the exercise has been completed the DLA is notified of the safe return of all crew. In this way the DLAs manage the safe operation of lifeboats and crew. There are lessons here for all those involved in managing maritime activities whether they be leisure or otherwise. We ask people to always be safety conscious and as we approach the New Year we urge everyone to let us know when and where fireworks/flares or Chinese lanterns might be lit, as they are frequently the cause of false alarms.

While we have a large complement of volunteers at the station, we are still looking for anyone who might be interested in doing video editing of material recorded on lifeboat cameras. Please contact Tom Bushe in this regard.

On a sad note, this year saw the passing of a long-serving RNLI local branch Treasurer and former DLA, Pat Fehilly. He is a great loss to his wife Maria, family, friends and the wider community and we in Baltimore Lifeboat will remember him fondly. LOM Tom Bushe remarked “since 1999 Pat served as a volunteer at the station in a number of different roles, throughout this time he was a gentlemen in every sense of the word. We extend our sincerest sympathies to his wife Maria and family”.

The call for assistance was received at Baltimore lifeboat station at 18:51. Weather conditions were very poor at the time, with winds of Force 6 gusting to Force 7 and a sea swell of 1.5 metres. The inshore lifeboat was tasked into service because it could more easily negotiate the mussel rafts strung out along the bay.

Helm Jerry Smith with crew Tadhg Collins and Colin Rochford proceeded through the islands of Roaring Water Bay in pitch darkness in the twin engined Atlantic 75 RIB. When they arrived on scene at 19:30, Schull Community Rescue were already providing medical assistance. The Baltimore lifeboat were able to support efforts to revive the casualty providing essential oxygen.

A Coast Guard helicopter was dispatched to evacuate the young man.  He was winched off the deck of the fishing boat at 20:15 and taken to Cork University Hospital.

The inshore lifeboat then returned in worsening weather conditions to the lifeboat station arriving back at 21:30. Crewman Tadhg Collins said, ‘it was good to see rescue services working together in a coordinated fashion to ensure the safety of life at sea’.

The exhibition will be launched in Cromer on 1st February.