Advertisement
If you have a new account but are having problems posting or verifying your account, please email us on hello@boards.ie for help. Thanks :)
Hello all! Please ensure that you are posting a new thread or question in the appropriate forum. The Feedback forum is overwhelmed with questions that are having to be moved elsewhere. If you need help to verify your account contact hello@boards.ie
Hi there,
There is an issue with role permissions that is being worked on at the moment.
If you are having trouble with access or permissions on regional forums please post here to get access: https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058365403/you-do-not-have-permission-for-that#latest

Cliff Rescue in Dublin

  • 12-10-2009 11:16am
    #1
    Nice_Guy_Eddie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭


    Hi Guys & Girls

    Apologies if this has been brought up somewhere before but I'd like to hear peoples thoughts on this.

    The cliffs around Howth seem a busy enough place for cliff rescues in Dublin. I've talked to people from the Coast Guard and Dublin Fire Brigade about this and there seem to be mixed views.

    I know that DFB have a heights rescue unit somewhere. Where are these based? How many of them are there? And are they trained and equipped for cliff rescue? I would imagine that they are specially trained for urban heights rescue but not sure about cliff.

    From what I've picked up from several people is that DFB either:

    a. Do not like tasking CG to cliff incidents and the cliff team are only tasked when DFB ask for the chopper.

    or

    b. DFB mobilisation officers are not aware of the resources available to them, e.g. the cliff team stationed in Howth.


    Extract from the below link:

    "The marine emergency management functions that the Irish Coast Guard carries out are as follows:
    • To provide a national marine search and rescue response service, including a service to the off-shore islands
    • To provide a coastal, inland and, where appropriate, cliff search and rescue service"
    http://www.transport.ie/marine/IRCG/About_Us.asp?lang=ENG&loc=2417

    I was then directed to this page:
    http://www.howthcoastguard.com/equipment/cliff-rescue/


    So is there any reason why DFB are going to these calls? Or should they even be going in the first place?

    I have not been able to get any information on DFB heights rescue so I could be completly off the mark here.


    What brought this up was an incident that I came across a few weeks ago where the car park at the start of the cliff walk was full of gardaí, fire engines, an ambulance and coast guard jeeps and van and the chopper at the cliff edge. I just thought, what was the need for all those DFB vehicles to be tied up all the way out in Howth. (Think there was about 4 of them) I didn't bother asking anyone what was going on as I didn't want to intrude but I found this then.
    http://www.howthcoastguard.com/2009/09/27/body-recovery-at-balscadden/

    Thanks!


Comments

  • #2
    robinb
    Closed Accounts Posts: 14 ✭robinb


    Correct - Howth Coast Guard are a specialist coastal land response unit (rather than sea - the RNLI cover sea in Howth). The team has 25 trained responders on a 24hr paging system to the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre, and aim to be mobile to any incident with full cliff access/recovery equipment in under 10 minutes. The single most important asset is local geographic knowledge, access and anchor points, specialist technical equipment for the terrain in Howth, and regular training on all the most common incident locations.

    The team work hard on Preventive Search & Rescue by providing local education on water safety to schools, youth groups, and leaflet drops to anglers and walkers on the cliffs. The team also provide safety foot patrols on busy days with responders walking the cliffs with communications and first-aid equipment to deal with any small incidents, provide a sea-ward visual of Dublin Bay with binoculars for MRCC dispatch, and provide a faster initial response to larger incidents.

    Full cliff capabilities listed here:
    http://www.howthcoastguard.com/equipment/cliff-rescue/

    The team have responded to 60 incidents in 2009 (5 have been cliff incidents at the same location mentioned in the post above, Balscadden).

    It is a unique position with DFB as I'm not sure there are many other first-response land-based teams in the DFB area of responsibility?

    -Robin.

    (Disclaimer: Howth Coast Guard member.)


  • #3
    Nice_Guy_Eddie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭Nice_Guy_Eddie


    Thanks for that reply robinb.

    I see you said you have 25 responders. Are you on a roster system on station or how does this work?

    I saw somewhere on your site that you are volunteers. Is this everyone on the team?

    Sorry for all the questions, I'm just interested in how it all works.


  • #4
    Nice_Guy_Eddie
    Closed Accounts Posts: 7 ✭Nice_Guy_Eddie


    Sorry to double post but I just came across this

    "Rope rescue is another area where Dublin Fire Brigade is training in to rescue people from cliffs, high cranes etc."
    From http://www.irishfireservices.ie/pages/dfbpages.htm

    and this

    "Rope Rescue is currently under development. personnel are training to rescue persons trapped in cranes, down cliffs on pylons etc."
    From http://www.irishfireservices.ie/pages/dfbfire.htm

    So it looks like they are into it. Anyone DFB out there have the inside track?


    Went looking around a bit more and found this which may be of interest

    "In July 2004 the new STORM system (Strategic Tasking Operational Resource Management) was brought on stream.This new software (and hardware) system has greatly expanded the options available to calltakers with particular emphasis on map display which automatically displays the incident location on a second screen when the address is entered."
    From http://www.irishfireservices.ie/pages/dfbcontrolroom.htm

    Are other services e.g. Garda, HSE, Coast Guard listed as resources on this system for the call taker to see?


Advertisement