The volunteer inshore lifeboat crew at Dun Laoghaire Harbour RNLI have had a busy weekend with two callouts. The first call came on Saturday (11 February) at 12.30 pm for a man and his dog, who had become cut off by the tide at Sandymount and the second, this morning (Sunday 12 February), at 8.21 am was to a man who had injured himself falling on rocks at Poolbeg.
The lifeboat callout to the dog walker in Sandymount yesterday, follows on from a similar callout to a woman and her dog two weeks ago, in the same location. In this case, the man had become cut off from the shore when his dog had run into the water and he was retrieving him. The tide came in very fast and he became trapped on a sandbank with his clothing soaked up to chest level. The alarm was raised and the inshore lifeboat crew from Dun Laoghaire RNLI responded. A crew member left the lifeboat and made their way to the man and his dog, where he checked their condition. They were then taken onboard the lifeboat and brought to shore, where they were met by members of Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard.
Commenting on the callout, Dun Laoghaire RNLI Helm, Laura Jackson said, ‘This was a very fast launch for the volunteer lifeboat crew and we were on the water within five minutes of our pagers being activated. What catches many people out who walk in this area, is just how fast the tide comes in and also, that it approaches from behind. You can get into difficulty so quickly and when you look up, you are surrounded by water and unsure of the depth. It can be quite disorientating.’
The second callout also involved members of Dublin Fire Service, who were on scene with a member of the public who had fallen on rocks at Poolbeg. The lifeboat crew were called out as access to the casualty was only possible by water, due to their location on the rocks. Working closely with members of Dublin Fire Service, Dun Laoghaire RNLI were able to assist with the transfer of the casualty from the rocks to Dublin Fire Service’s rescue craft. From there, they were brought to a nearby slipway, to receive further medical attention.
Dun Laoghaire RNLI Helm Laura Jackson further added, ‘It’s been a busy weekend for our inshore lifeboat crew at Dun Laoghaire with two very different callouts. We train for anything and it is always good to work alongside our colleagues in the other services, in this case, Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard and the Dublin Fire Service. We hope both casualties and our four legged one recover well from the incidents.’
