Borth RNLI volunteers give medical support to injured horse rider
Borth RNLI volunteers give medical support to injured horse rider
Lifeboats News Release
RNLI medical training proved invaluable as Borth RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew swap the land for the sea as they help an injured horse rider in the lead up to Christmas.
On Monday (11 of December) at around 1pm, Borth Coastguard Rescue Team were called to a horse rider that had fallen from their horse and was injured on Ynys Las beach.
Having been notified there would be a considerable wait for an ambulance, HM Coastguard requested if any crew from Borth RNLI inshore lifeboat could assist by land to help with the provision of pain relief medication.
RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew are trained in administering certain pain relief as part of their casualty care training, which forms part of their wider rigorous training plans including specific rescue techniques and lifeboat skills.
Once the ambulance arrived the RNLI crew were asked to remain on scene in case further assistance was needed, such as carrying the casualty to the ambulance.
The Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Caernarfon then arrived and the RNLI crew members helped transport the casualty safely to the helicopter, working alongside the other emergency services. The casualty was then transferred to a nearby ambulance before being taken to hospital.
Dave Reynolds, Lifeboat Operations Manager at Borth RNLI said: ‘Our crews have specialist casualty care training and are always ready to respond to a call for help.
‘Although in this case the lifeboat wasn’t launched, three of our volunteer lifeboat crew spent the afternoon assisting an injured person in this multi-agency operation.
‘With the ambulance service being stretched to its limits, especially around Christmas time, this rescue effort highlights the value of our crew’s training and how we can come together in the community both on and off the water!
‘Without the public’s kind donations the funding to train our crew members could not be continued, enabling us to help save others and get home safely to our own families.’
To make a donation to the RNLI’s Christmas Appeal, and enable the charity to continue its lifesaving work, visit: RNLI.org/WinterAppeal.
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Shem Llewelyn ap Geraint, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Borth RNLI on 07739 031 593 or email [email protected] , or Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, on [email protected] or 07977 728 315.
Alternatively you can contact the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.
