RNLI rescue from a fog-bound private island
Aith’s RNLI lifeboat was called out on Saturday evening to the private island of Vaila, which lies off the west mainland of Shetland, to carry out a medical evacuation.
With the island fog-bound, and so inaccessible by rescue helicopter, Aith’s team of lifeboat volunteers were called on to help transfer a 74-year-old – who had sustained a suspected hip injury – into the care of waiting Scottish Ambulance Service staff in nearby Walls.
The call for assistance came at 2200 hours, with Aith’s Severn class lifeboat Charles Lidbury steaming around the westside through poor visibility to reach the island of Vaila by 2330. 4 members of the Aith lifeboat crew with RNLI casualty care training were put ashore to help transfer the patient to the island’s pier, and from there onboard the lifeboat for transport to the village of Walls.
The casualty was handed over to the waiting ambulance in Walls at 0110, and the lifeboat then made its way back to Aith – returning to its station by 0245.
Aith lifeboat coxswain, John Robertson, said: “We were pleased to be able to help in this situation where, due to weather conditions, the island was not accessible by any other means. Lifeboat volunteers proved their worth and did a professional job through the night in caring for the casualty, and evacuating them as swiftly and as safely as possible into the care of ambulance colleagues.”
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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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