CoastGuard Agency

[Fiona]

This is a question which was posted on the otherside this morning


Lack of Coastguard cover has been blamed on record numbers of maritime related deaths around the UK coastline. Is there anymore they can do to prevent Diving related deaths than they do already?


As I saw the piece this morning I thought I would add a response, I have written what I heard as I know Paul mentioned in the other post on CG that he has friends in the agency.

There was a chap from the union the coastguard staff were members of interviewed this morning on BBC Breakfast. He said that there is a short fall in the training of some staff. He said ther were 3 levels of staff at the stations and only the top two went through full SAR training. As there is a lack of staff on duty some stations were manned by the 3 level of staff and these staff were "acting up" and he quoted one search where a helecopter had been sent to the wrong coordinates.

I suppose this is just another government department which is understaffed and underfunded, all the staff should be put through the same training required to coordinate SAR properly. I seem to remember last year they nearly closed at least one CG station.

I think that his reinforces the reason why it is important that we as club boat users inform the CG where we are when diving, therefore enableing them to coordinate rescues more effectively.

Thought it was a bit of a pity when they were reading the headlines about the CG that a clip of a lifeboat was also shown. It's also time the RNLI received some finding from the Government, not that this would make the lifeboat crews anymore dedicated than they already are. As divers if you haven't already had to use the services of the CG and RNLI then you might and some time, so if it's the only charity you support make sure it is the RNLI. Shoreline membership is about the same cost as your weekly bacon butty.

http://www.rnli.org.uk/join.asp

[Dr Stevil]

Apparently the RNLI prefer to be independent of Government funding, prevent interference from the faceless mandarins of Whitehall, all the more reason why every diver should be a member.

As for blaming diver deaths on the CG, I'm not comfortable with that, I feel the diving community needs to take more responsibility for it's own actions.
That said, I'm not impressed with the Government closing Tyne-Tees CG, or rather making it into a relay station, the nearest staffed CG to Tyneside is Humber which is almost 150 miles away!!

[chrisch]

I would add that the RNLI is not "short" of funds. They are the richest charity in the UK. Not that should stop you being at least a Shoreline member.

HMCG has an auxillary grade which is unpaid and voluntary. I guess this might be what was refered to?

I don't see what these good people (both) could do more. Their dedication and enthusiasm is undeniable.

If money were to be spent on diver safety it might be better spent on diver education? Although not sure how that could be achieved.

Steve's point about the number of CG stations is valid and affects all water users. Is there any reason for these closures? What are the costs? As ever our secretive government hides behind the official secrets act and the like to cover up its true intent. Maybe, like with some rural hospitals, the facts are that small stations do not make sense - but why can't the facts be on the website for all to see?

Whinge over.

This year's high number of deaths may be nothing more than a statistical abberation. I hope so.

Chris

[Adrian Kelland]

Originally Posted by chrisch

I would add that the RNLI is not "short" of funds. They are the richest charity in the UK. Not that should stop you being at least a Shoreline member.

Chris

If you had £1Billion, and needed £1.0001billion, you are short. The RNLI may well be 'rich', but it spends it too. £274,000 a day.

Like all charities, it has been hit hard by reduced donations, legacies, stock market etc. Rembership reduced in 2002, but has been recovering. The RNLI tries to operate with reserves for one year's worth of operations and has had to tighten up on spending to achieve that.

This has happened while developing beach lifeguards, hovercraft, the new boats operating on the Thames and othe inland site and new boats.

Maybe they are not 'rich' enough.

Adrian

[Dr Stevil]

Originally Posted by Adrian Kelland

If you had £1Billion, and needed £1.0001billion, you are short. The RNLI may well be 'rich', but it spends it too. £274,000 a day.

As true today as it ever was in the past

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds, nineteen shillings and sixpence, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds and sixpence, result misery." Mr Micawber, "David Copperfield"

Now to await the younger YD-ers asking "What's a shilling...?"

[Fiona]

Originally Posted by chrisch

HMCG has an auxillary grade which is unpaid and voluntary. I guess this might be what was refered to?

Chris

Chris the report actually wasn't to do with unpaid or voluntary staff. It was referring to inadequate training for the lower grade.

[David Wallace]

Originally Posted by chrisch

I would add that the RNLI is not "short" of funds. They are the richest charity in the UK. Not that should stop you being at least a Shoreline member.

As a crew memebr for the RNLI could i suggest that you check out your facts!

this was somthing reported in the papers a couple of years ago and I have to say its far from the truth today!

Please everyone, support the RNLI especially if you are in a position where you may need them oneday - ie all Divers

regards

[abucksdiver]

A family friend is one of the Lawyers for the Charities commission... he has mentioned to me that the RNLI have one of the highest ratios of "donations that actually end up getting used for the charities main function" of all UK charities...

If I recall correctly, it spends something like 3x more of its income saving peoples lives than, say, Oxfam sends to famine relief operations....

If you are a diver, you should be supporting them... it's your butt they may pull out of the briney....

Regards
Andrew

[Bantam]

Originally Posted by abucksdiver

If I recall correctly, it spends something like 3x more of its income saving peoples lives than, say, Oxfam sends to famine relief operations....

Oxfam et. al. seem to spend most of their money on the TV advertising budget, whereas the RNLI just do flyers in the places that count.

Good on 'em for not creating charity TV advert fatigue. A very worthy cause.

Mark.

[Helen F H]

My other half is in the coastguard, spent all day yesterday on patrol.

What pisses a lot of coastguards off, is that they will put in hours and hours at a rescue and the life boat turns up. All people see is "the brave lifeboat boys".

Never mind the poor sods who walk miles in the rain, drag people up cliffs, clean up oil spills etc etc.