Baltimore Lifeboat in medical evacuation from Cape Clear Island.

On August Bank Holiday Monday, the Baltimore Lifeboat, Hilda Jarrett, was launched to effect a medical evacuation from Cape Clear Island. The lifeboat was tasked by Valentia Coastguard at 17:10 and the Tyne class all-weather lifeboat was launched at 17:15, proceeding directly to North Harbour, Cape Clear, a Gaeltacht Island West of Baltimore Harbour.

A man had suffered a cardiac arrest on the pier on Cape Clear. When the lifeboat was 10 minutes out of Baltimore Harbour, the coastguard contacted the lifeboat to see if they had a defibrillator on board. As there was none on board, the Harbour Master in Baltimore brought an ambulance crew & defibrillator to Cape Clear in a fast RIB, passing the lifeboat while it was 2 nautical miles from North Harbour, Cape Clear. Despite efforts to resuscitate the victim, the man was pronounced dead at 18:05. The deceased was returned to Baltimore on the lifeboat stretcher.

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