Coleraine Coastguard needs new recruits

The team in Coleraine is the only one in Northern Ireland with the expertise and equipment to respond to all types of maritime incident involving search, rope, water or mud rescue.

Coleraine Station Officer Chris Little explained: “Each Coastguard Rescue Team Is made up of volunteers drawn from the local community and is trained to carry out rescue and ccident prevention work along the coast and elsewhere, if requested by other emergency services.

“This could involve being called out, at any time of the day or night, in all weathers, to search for missing persons, to carry out cliff rescues, or even to help to free people trapped in mud- indeed anything that involves helping the coastal community and visitors who have got into difficulty.”

Station Officer Stuart Leslie added, “You will need to be over 18, reasonably fit and have a good standard of health to be a volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officer. You could be asked to respond to emergencies at any time, so we ask you to be available as much as possible. A small re-imbursement is made to compensate for expenses incurred in responding to emergencies and for training.”

Anyone interested in finding out more about this opportunity to serve their local community is asked to contact Sector Manager Gordon Munro at the Coastguard Rescue Station, 10 Gateside Business Park, Gateside Road, Coleraine, BT52 2PB or email [email protected].

The Coleraine team has been involved in a variety of incidents over the Easter period. Most recently, it played a key role in the operation to rescue a 62-year-old man who had fallen about 20 feet onto rocks at Fair Head on Saturday evening. The injured man was winched aboard an Irish Coast Guard helicopter, which landed him safely at the Causeway Hospital.