Gravesend RNLI tasked to injured crew on board cargo ship
On Wednesday 3 April at 6:33pm, Gravesend RNLI was requested to launch by London Coastguard to a crew member who had suffered an injury on board a Ro-Ro Cargo vessel in the area of Grays on the River Thames.
The crew on board the lifeboat located the very large vessel at Purfleet Deep Water Terminal, two RNLI members disembarked by climbing a fixed ladder to offer immediate aid to the casualty.
Volunteer crew member Ashley Bard said, 'we were first to arrive on the scene and it was clear to see the casualty was in discomfort and had an obvious fracture to their lower right leg, we carried out a full casualty care assessment to ensure there were no additional injuries to be aware of and then continued to treat the affected area and plan the safe and swift evacuation of the patient'.
The casualty had been trapped and caught in a heavy industrial-grade winch system that assists the vessel with the retrieval of ropes that moor the 49166-ton vessel to the jetty.
‘The pain scale was initially on the higher side and continued to increase once the casualty’s adrenaline wore off, it was at that point my fellow crew prepared the pain relief, and the pain level dropped significantly, this made the casualty more comfortable and assisted with the movement from the ship to the ambulance once it arrived on scene'.
Duty Commander Liam Sidders said, 'I have had the pleasure to conduct the training and development of both RNLI volunteers for this particular incident, it's incredibly humbling to see how they have developed their skills and confidence during their short time with us. Thankfully this scenario is something we train regularly, my crew acted exactly as expected and provided the top-quality service that the charity offers'.
The RNLI crew continued to provide monitoring and casualty care treatment while a multiagency briefing was held between the ambulance service and RNLI command staff to ensure that safe and effective outcomes were achieved.
The lifeboat left the scene at 7:45pm and returned to Gravesend Lifeboat Station for kit checks and refuelling. The lifeboat was made ready for service by 8pm.
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Gravesend is one of the RNLI’s newest lifeboat stations and one of four lifeboat stations operating on the River Thames – the first stations to specifically cover a river rather than estuarial waters or the sea.
Our lifeboat is Olive Laura Deare II, an Atlantic 85 B class inshore lifeboat, which is one of the fastest types in the fleet.
RNLI Media Contacts
For further information, please contact:
Ashley Bard, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer for Gravesend RNLI email [email protected]
Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager [email protected]
Julie Rainey, Regional Media Manager (South East), on 07827 358 256 or email [email protected]
RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789 or email [email protected]
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For more information on the RNLI please visit rnli.org. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre rnli.org/news-and-media.
Key facts about Gravesend RNLI
Gravesend RNLI is one of the RNLI’s newest lifeboat stations and one of four lifeboat stations operating on the River Thames. The first stations to specifically cover a river rather than estuarial waters or the sea.
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around Ireland and the UK. The RNLI operates 46 lifeboat stations in Ireland. The RNLI is independent of government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service.
Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, the charity has saved over 142,200 lives.
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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.