TRAINING FOR SEVERE WEATHER
The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team was on station on Wednesday night for the team’s weekly training session with a focus on key rescue techniques which can be used during severe weather.
In recent weeks, the team have continued to see photos across social media of people putting themselves at unnecessary risk by walking and driving to the end of the Saltcoats Harbour during severe weather including strong winds and large breaking waves.
Wednesday night’s training session focussed on this area as a training venue, with the team practicing key rescue techniques which could be used to conduct rescues should someone get into serious difficulty and require emergency assistance.
The techniques called ‘runner rescue’ and ‘lanyarding’ allow Coastguard Rescue Officers to access casualties in dangerous or precarious locations where there is a risk of being swept off their feet or swept into the sea. These techniques ensure the team members stay safely secured so they can provide emergency assistance and recover casualties to safety.
Just 15cms of flowing water is enough to knock a fully-grown adult off their feet, and just 30cms of fast flowing water is enough to move a family-sized car.
With #StormDennis arriving this weekend bringing further strong winds, large waves and dangerous conditions at the coast we are continuing to urge the public to stay safe and avoid visiting exposed coastal areas.
We sincerely hope we don’t need to use these rescue techniques for real...
Search and Rescue – it’s what we do.
In a coastal, beach or cliff emergency dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.