COAST GUARD ROUNDUP 2020
ON THEIR
GUARD Despite lockdowns, the Irish Coast Guard had a busy 2020 under difficult circumstances.
D
espite the impact of COVID-19 that saw movement and activity severely restricted over the course of 2020, the Irish Coast Guard saw another very busy year, particularly in late summer. In total, the maritime emergency organisation’s three Rescue Coordination Centres at Malin Head, Valentia Island and MRCC Dublin responded to 2,643 incidents. This compares to 2,490 incidents in 2019. Due to nationwide lockdowns when the country was hit by the first wave of the pandemic, the months of February, March and April saw the lowest recorded number of incidents in recent years, but the figures rose dramatically as summer approached, and August and September proved to be exceptionally busy. There were 464 maritime incidents recorded in August, compared to 369 in the same month in 2019, and 307 incidents recorded in September compared to 239 the previous year.
DANGERS
The Coast Guard noted that an increase in two particular activities contributed to the rise in safety concerns and the number of incidents in these months: The number of people using inflatable devices such as lilos and dinghies on beaches and inland waterways during the summer months, and an increase in the number of people participating in open water swimming in autumn and into winter. Public safety messages were promoted throughout the year via the revamped www.safetyonthewater.gov.ie website and other social media platforms in conjunction with the Marine Safety Communications Sub-Group consisting of the Coast Guard, Water Safety Ireland, the RNLI, Bord Iascaigh Mhara, and the Commissioners of Irish Lights and Irish Sailing. This campaign proved successful, with the Coast Guard praising the fact that the majority of the public were heeding these safety messages regarding open water swimming and adhering to basic safety precautions.
The core safety message of Raise the Alarm and Stay Afloat, also continued to be promoted across the year, highlighting the importance of never engaging in any commercial or recreational boating activity without wearing a fully-serviced life jacket or personal flotation device, coupled with a capacity to raise the alarm via radio or personal locator beacon. Unfortunately, the Coast Guard did nevertheless record a total of 72 drownings in Ireland in 2020, and while each of these was tragic, the figure is down on 2019 numbers. However, with a particular emphasis on what it categorises as Lives Saved, which is assistance provided that prevented loss of life, severe risk to life, or protracted hospitalisation, the Irish Coast Guard recorded that 391 individuals’ lives were saved in 2020 through their direct action.
OTHER SERVICES
The Coast Guard Helicopter services provided under contract by CHC Ireland, which operates day and night services out of bases at Sligo, Shannon, Dublin and Waterford, flew a total of 781 missions, up slightly on 2019 (770 missions).
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