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AfloatDigi 2018 CHMarine SafetySection

Search & Rescue, Water Safety - News from the Marine Safety Agencies
RNLI Trustee Paddy McLaughlin, also a volunteer at Red Bay RNLI in Cushendall, pictured with Stephen Conway, Red Bay RNLI Lifeboat
A man overboard exercise with Antrim’s Red Bay all-weather lifeboat and the experience of a dog walker rescued by Cork Harbour’s Crosshaven lifeboat are among topics on tonight’s (Fri, March 22) RTÉ Radio 1 special issue of Seascapes. The programme,…
File image of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat
Portaferry RNLI came to the aid of four people on St Patrick’s Day (Sunday 17 March) after their ocean-going rowing boat sustained a broken rudder and developed steering problems. Belfast Coastguard requested the launch of Portaferry RNLI’s inshore lifeboat at…
The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O'Shea
Wicklow RNLI rescued three fishermen on Monday, March 18, after their boat suffered mechanical failure. The all-weather lifeboat RNLB Bridie O'Shea, under the command of Coxswain Alan Goucher, was called to the scene at 12.19 pm, 11 nautical miles northeast…
Arriving on scene below the Beacon, the Baltimore RNLI Atlantic 85 crew observed Dixie sheltering and waiting under a rock ledge after she managed to swim ashore. Crew members Kieran Collins and Eoin O’Driscoll  entered the sea and retrieved the dog, bringing her safely back onto the lifeboat and back to shore to her relieved owner
Baltimore RNLI in West Cork successfully rescued Dixie, a terrier mix dog, after she fell from the cliff at the Beacon on Tuesday morning. The Irish Coast Guard requested the launch of their inshore lifeboat shortly before 10 am, after…
The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) is a Division within the Irish Maritime Directorate of the Department of Transport. Its mission is to deliver a world-class search and rescue, maritime casualty, and pollution response service. The IRCG currently have vacancies for…
RNLI lifeboat in a heavy swell
Ahead of the St Patrick’s Day Bank Holiday weekend, the Irish Coast Guard, RNLI and Water Safety Ireland are issuing a joint water safety appeal, asking people to stay safe when in, near or on the water. Water temperatures are…
Aran island lifeboat coxswain Aonghus Ó hIarnáin and the O'Connell family - Daniel, Lena, Lena's mother Margaret Gill, and Jack and Olive (their younger brother Eoghan had left for a match)
An Aran island family with several generations of volunteering with the RNLI lifeboat are featured in the first episode of a special series of RTÉ Radio 1’s Seascapes to mark the RNLI’s bicentenary. The three-part series also carries an interview…
Kilmore Quay’s Tamar class lifeboat Victor Freeman alongside the stricken Irish trawler on Friday 8 March
RNLI lifeboats from Ireland and the UK launched to a Mayday distress call from a fishing vessel taking on water on Friday (8 March). The 24-metre Irish trawler had five crew onboard and was some 21 nautical miles northwest of…
A file photo of Baltimore RNLI lifeboat
Late on Wednesday night, Baltimore RNLI received a request from the Irish Coast Guard to provide a medical evacuation for a man living on Cape Clear Island, located off the coast of West Cork. The Baltimore all-weather lifeboat crew, consisting…
CHC runs the four Irish Coast Guard Search and Rescue Helicopter bases, but the service is being taken over by Bristow
Bristow Ireland says it won’t comment on a new legal challenge pursued by CHC Ireland over the new Irish Coast Guard search and rescue (SAR) helicopter contract. As The Irish Independent reports, CHC Ireland claims that there has been a…
At Dublin Port (L-R), Tom McGuire, RNLI lifeboat press officer, and Liam Sheringham, Lough Ree RNLI helm with example of the commemorative stamps issued by An Post that depict an Atlantic 85 lifeboat, similar to the “Tara Scougall” based at his station
Dublin’s Tom Clarke bridge was lifted for an RNLI lifeboat on Monday morning – but it wasn’t in response to a tasking. The Dun Laoghaire Harbour lifeboat steamed up the Liffey and berthed on North Wall Quay to mark the…
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution 200th anniversary commemorative stamps from An Post
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) will mark its 200th anniversary of saving lives at sea by launching two commemorative stamps in collaboration with An Post today. To celebrate the launch of these stamps, some of the charity's volunteer lifeboat…
The Aran Islands fishing crew members on the fishing vessel were subsequently winched to safety by Irish Coast Guard helicopter R115
Five crew members were rescued by the Irish Coast Guard after their fishing vessel ran aground on the northern side of Inis Mór, on the Aran Islands. The emergency call was received by the Valentia Coast Guard shortly before 5am…
An Irish Sikorsky S-92A Coastguard helicopter, operated by CHC Ireland (CHCI), is used for search and rescue operations from four bases along the Irish coast
The Irish Coast Guard has said it is “closely monitoring developments” after the Sikorsky S-92A crash in Norway earlier this week which claimed one life. A woman in her sixties died and five people were injured when the helicopter crashed…
David Murray is the new full-time Station Mechanic at Dunmore East RNLI
Dunmore East RNLI in County Waterford has announced the appointment of David Murray as its new full-time Station Mechanic. David, who has been a volunteer with the lifeboat station since 2013, has made significant contributions to the team and the…
European Ombudsman Emily O’Reilly
A European Ombudsman inquiry into Frontex’s role in search and rescue operations says that the current rules leave the EU’s border and coast guard agency unable fully to fulfil its fundamental rights obligations. The inquiry says Frontex has no internal…

Every Year Ireland's Search & Rescue Services deliver emergency life saving work on our seas, lakes and rivers.

Ireland's Water Safety Agencies work hard to provide us with the information we need to keep safe, while enjoying all manner of water based activities.

There's no better fun than getting out on the water but being afloat is a responsibility we all need to take seriously.

These pages detail the work of the rescue agencies. We also aim to promote safety standards among pleasure boaters, and by doing so, prevent, as far as possible, the loss of life at sea and on inland waters. If you have ideas for our pages we'd love to hear from you. Please email us at [email protected]

Think Before You Sink - Wear a Lifejacket

Accidents can happen fast on water and there may not be time to reach for a lifejacket in an emergency therefore don't just carry a lifejacket - wear it; if it's not on you, it can't save your life.

Irish Water Safety's Safe Boating Alert:

Check condition of boat and equipment, hull, engine, fuel, tools, torch.

Check the weather forecast for the area.

Check locally concerning dangerous currents and strong tides.

Do not drink alcohol while setting out or during your trip.

Carry an alternative means of propulsion e.g. sails and oars or motor and oars.

Carry a first aid kit on board and distress signals (at least two parachute distress rockets, two red hand flares).

Carry a fire extinguisher, a hand bailer or bucket with lanyard and an anchor with rope attached.

Carry marine radio or some means of communication with shore.

Do not overload the boat - this will make it unstable.

Do not set out unless accompanied by an experienced person.

Leave details of your planned trip with someone ashore - including departure and arrival times, description of boat, names of persons on board, etc.

Wear a Lifejacket at all times.

Keep an eye on the weather - seek shelter in good time.

In Marine Emergencies, call 999 or 112 and ask for Marine Rescue.

Lifejackets Checklist

Ensure Cartridges have not been punctured and are secured firmly.

Ensure all zips, buckles, fasteners and webbing straps are functioning correctly and adjusted to fit the user.

Check that fitted lights are operating correctly.

Ensure that Automatic Inflation devices are fully serviced and in date.

Check that the valve or lifejacket is not leaking.