Girvan Lifeboat responds to 999 call

This evening Tuesday 2nd April, our volunteer crew were paged by MRCC Belfast Coastguard for immediate launch, after a 999 call to UK Coastguard reporting children in potential difficulty in the water in the Girvan beach area.

Due to the seriousness of the call, our Shannon Class Lifeboat 'Elizabeth and Gertrude Allan' was launched within minutes of the call, additional crew as is usual for us in these situations headed towards the promenade on foot in support.

On arrival our crew on shore located the 2 casualties, ensuring their safety and wellbeing, in this instance the kids were having an innocent paddle along the shore on such a calm and lovely evening on their way home, with the arrival of HM Coastguard Girvan CRT we liaised with the CRT team who provided water safety advice to the children, at this point, happy no one was in danger, injured and no longer in the water, we handed the scene over to the Coastguard rescue team, our crew on shore headed back to station and the lifeboat was stood down, also tasked were Ballantrae Coastguard Rescue Team who stood down en-route after a successful conclusion.

With the kids paddling in the shallow shoreline like we all did as kids and not in any danger this call was deemed a false alarm with good intent, and we thank the initial caller for phoning it in, as we say in most of our posts, we would rather attend and all is well than not be phoned at all and if you see or believe someone to be in trouble at sea or along the coast, don't hesitate, don't assume someone else has phoned, dial 999 and ask for the coastguard right away.

Loads of educational resources can be found on the RNLI website for teachers and parents to talk about beach and water safety, some tips can be found here also https://rnli.org/safety/beach-safety

Schools and groups can also arrange for talks with our water safety officer by getting in touch with the station.

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.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.