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Plymouth Coastguard are on the lookout for volunteers
For general enquiries phone:02380 329100
or visit: plymouth-coastguard.co.uk
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The Plymouth Coastguard is a team of dedicated men and women who handle emergency situations on the Plymouth coast, such as cliff rescues and people cut off by the incoming tide. Although all volunteers, they are part of a larger government-funded organisation, HM Coastguard, a division of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) which coordinates maritime search and rescue of civilians within the UK.
As part of HM Coastguard, there are 19 Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs) around the UK. Staff working in the MRCCs monitor emergency radio frequencies and take emergency 999 or 112 calls from those in trouble at sea and in coastal areas and decide which of the many resources at their disposal are the most suitable to deal with the situation. When appropriate, they pass details on to the Plymouth Coastguard Search and Rescue team, one of 362 such teams stationed around the UK. MRCC Brixham is the controlling centre for the Plymouth team.The 3500 volunteers who make up the Coastguard Rescue Service are trained in search and rescue techniques and have specialist equipment to help them deal effectively with an emergency situation. The Plymouth team trains every other Sunday and the second Tuesday of every month to ensure they are well-practised in the use of the latest search and rescue equipment. Training takes place at a variety of locations along the Plymouth coastline, including Jennicliffe where they are seen in these photos practising different types of rescue with ropes.
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If you are looking for a coastguard job, the Plymouth Coastguard team has vacancies. The team should have 12 members but currently only has 9. For a successful cliff rescue the team needs 8 people, although they are able to stabilise an emergency situation with just 2. Volunteers receive out-of-pocket expenses and the team is on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. |
Plymouth Coastguard volunteers have dealt with 49 incidents so far this year (up to 28th August 2011) and typically handle 70 to 80 a year, i.e. approximately one every 4 or 5 days. The team covers an area that extends from Calstock on the Tamar to the Yealm, including the busy Plymouth Sound which hosts a range of maritime activities. Whether canoeing, fishing, sailing, diving, rock-climbing, walking, or exploring, there are plenty of opportunities for Plymouth residents to find themselves in difficulties.
Examples of the types of challenges the team faces range from Plymouth dog walkers finding themselves or their pets stuck in the mud at Ernesettle Creek to holidaymakers injuring themselves while rock climbing in Plymouth. During 2009-10, the team were regularly called to deal with Plymouth tombstoning accidents after young men had leapt into the sea from high on the Hoe, but this dangerous pastime seems to be on the decrease today. Occasionally the team receives a call that turns out to be a false alarm, especially around Devil’s Point where callers sometimes mistake Plymouth fisherman struggling with a catch for someone in trouble. |
Not to be confused with the Plymouth Coastguard search and rescue team, the Coastguard Association was set up in 1976 to help those volunteers suffering hardship. A registered charity, the Coastguard association supports all coastguards, serving or retired, who have been injured or fallen ill as a result of search and rescue activities. The charity relies entirely on fundraising by volunteers and has the full support of the MCA.
The Plymouth Coastguard team works closely with the local Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI). One of over 235 lifeboat stations in the UK, the Plymouth lifeboat station is situated in West Hoe, with the All Weather and Inshore Lifeboats moored in Millbay Marina on the east side of Millbay Docks. Also volunteers, the Plymouth lifeboat crew launched 119 times in 2010, and 83 times already this year (up to 28th August 2011). |
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