Limerick Marine Search and Rescue Service

A2LUE42

Reading about the latest drowning, I was wondering if there are any figures about how often the Limerick Marine Search and Rescue Service are called out to try and save or locate someone. From anecdotal evidence, it seems like it is far more frequent than I could imagine.

http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/woman-rescued-from-river-shannon-dies-in-hospital-31234115.html

Jofspring

Would be interesting to see some figures alright. Around Christmas time I was hearing at least one a day and on some occasions two or three a day.

stefanovich

Live near the river and the frequency with which I see and hear their rescue helicopter hovering over the Shannon is frightening.

Jmccoy1

From what I know it works like this. Someone is seen entering the water, 999 call is made, Limerick Fire Brigade dispatched (they have a boat tied up at Steamboat Quay now), simultaneously the Coastguard helicopter is scrambled from Shannon and Limerick Marine Search & Rescue volunteers are paged to their base on the Dock Road. The fire brigade are usually the first on scene within about 3 minutes and may stand down the other approaching services if they've effected a rescue or retrieval.

zulutango

There was a headline in the Limerick Post a few months ago that the Corbett Suicide Prevention group have saved 300 lives on the river.

If nothing else, this highlights the need to have meaningful and credible stats when it comes to this issue, because there sure as hell weren't 300 suicide attempts there in the last few years.

I live beside the river myself and have boated on it for 20 years and personally I think there's a hysteria about the river and suicide in Limerick. Any time the search crews are out training, everybody seems to think somebody has jumped in. There's no denying that it happens from time to time, but a little bit of perspective is required.

yankinlk

wow. Just wow.You seem to be very knowledgeable. Tell me, how do you tell when they are training versus on a search? is there a special flag or some sort of code or secret hand signal? please share.

Im involved in the actual scene of S&R and I can tell you ... if you havent a clue what your talking about its best to keep quiet.

Nearly every single week there are multiple volunteer units travelling to Limerick (and most other bodies of water near cities) searching for missing persons. A search can take many weeks, and often one search runs into another. LMSR are the most visible in Limerick, and maintain a constant round the clock cover of the river, for search as well as rescue.

I do not have exact figures, but i know that in the last few years, the amount of call outs that require outside units to provide support (because simply put, the resources are stretched thin) seems to be on the rise. its an epidemic.

apc

yankinlk wrote: »

wow. Just wow.You seem to be very knowledgeable. Tell me, how do you tell when they are training versus on a search? is there a special flag or some sort of code or secret hand signal? please share.

Im involved in the actual scene of S&R and I can tell you ... if you havent a clue what your talking about its best to keep quiet.

Nearly every single week there are multiple volunteer units travelling to Limerick (and most other bodies of water near cities) searching for missing persons. A search can take many weeks, and often one search runs into another. LMSR are the most visible in Limerick, and maintain a constant round the clock cover of the river, for search as well as rescue.

I do not have exact figures, but i know that in the last few years, the amount of call outs that require outside units to provide support (because simply put, the resources are stretched thin) seems to be on the rise. its an epidemic.

The fire service run their boat twice a day when carrying out there checks and carry out other training each week, the lmsr train during the week so suffice to say that at least 15 - 20 times a week their is a boat on the river that is not search related.

AFAIK there is only 1 person unaccounted for at present and as all river activity is under the auspices of the coastguard they have all the resources they require at hand and will call them in as necessary.

Bunratty and limerick do most of the river searches in and around limerick city and some one like Mallow might get involved when requested by the Coastguard as the have specialist equipment. lmsr were very protective of the river in limerick and of who came into help in Limerick City in the past as they saw it as their patch but since the Coastguard have taken over the inland waters more resources are thankfully available making the role of search more effective