Coastguards emergency callouts

[Schutzengel]

Is it just me, or has the world gone completely mad. British coastguards have now been instructed that before they can answer an emergency distress call, they have to fill in a Health and Safety Risk Assessment Form, with the most ludicrous questions, before they can leave the coastguard stations to commence a rescue. The coastguards are furious, saying that every minute wasted is likely to cost lives. It sounds like the craziest idea that H & S have ever come up with. Does anyone agree.

[dot.hawkes]

But the lifeboats go to emergencies, the coastguards direct them don't they? the coastguard are not volunteers like the lifeboat crew, i'm not sure which service you are saying has to do the assessment

[Buenchico]

I suspect that the media have grossly exaggerated a minor niggle among some coastguard staff. The 'form-filling' probably simply involves a few quick clicks on a computer screen, to ensure that someone takes responsibility for ensuring that the relevant safety procedures have been complied with.

Anyway, stupidity among the rescue services is hardly new. 40 years ago, I was listening to the old 2182Mhz emergency frequency, and monitoring a rescue mission where aircraft where trying to direct lifeboats to a ship in distress. For over an hour, the (American) pilot of one of the search aircraft reported that he was circling above the lights of the stricken ship, while the coastguard directed three lifeboats the location he'd given. Eventually, a lifeboat coxswain radioed the coastguard to ask if the coastguard had actually bothered to check those coordinates against a chart, since his boat seemed to be heading straight towards the flashing light of a lightship!

Chris

[Schutzengel]

It is the coastguards, who perform land rescues with specially equipped Land Rovers. At present it doesn't affect the sea rescues, which the coastguards perform in conjunction with the life-boat crews, with both organisations patrolling the entire UK coastline. Many coastguards have full-time jobs but carry pagers to alert them and are only paid when they actually on a rescue, whereas the lifeboatmen are all volunteers.