Craster and Seahouses RNLI assist injured visitor on Inner Farne Island
On Saturday 11 May at 3:31pm the volunteers of Craster RNLI responded to the sound of the pager. A visitor to the Farne Islands on the Northumberland coast had fallen and had a serious hip and leg injury requiring immediate casualty care.
HM Coastguard paged the Craster RNLI crew to launch and proceed to the Island of Inner Farne, to support the temporarily unavailable Seahouses lifeboat.
On arrival at inner Farne, an initial assessment of the casualty was carried out by the Craster lifeboat crew. The casualty had severe pain in the hip and leg.
Because of the severity of the pain the casualty was in, the RNLI trained casualty care crew provided immediate pain relief in the form of Entenox, which is commonly known as gas and air.
The casualty was then placed on a stretcher and carried back to the island’s landing jetty with the help of the National Trust Wardens. The RNLI crew were very grateful for the help given by the wardens.
Whilst on the jetty further pain relief was given in preparation for transfer. This was Penthrox a medicine that is used to reduce pain through an inhaler.
At 5:02pm Seahouses all-weather Shannon class lifeboat returned to service and quickly launched with a doctor on board, who also volunteers as a crew member for the RNLI.
After further assessment by the doctor, it was decided that the safest way to evacuate the casualty was by the all-weather lifeboat (ALB) and they were carefully transferred to the charity’s ALB and taken to Seahouses harbour where Coastguard teams from Howick and Seahouses were waiting to assist with the transfer to the North East Ambulance Service.
The lady was then gently transferred to the lifeboat station under the doctor’s supervision, to await an ambulance, which later conveyed her to the Northumberland Emergency Specialist Care Hospital at Cramlington. The lady’s husband was ashore at Seahouses and remained with his wife on her arrival.
Craster lifeboat D839, James Ballard, returned to Craster lifeboat station and was refuelled and prepared for service.
Craster RNLI, commented: ‘This was a positive outcome working alongside our flank station, HM Coastguard and North East Ambulance Service.’
Seahouses RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Ian Clayton said: ‘This was a perfect example of two RNLI Crews, National Trust Wardens on the Island, and the Coastguard Rescue Teams all working seamlessly together. We wish the lady a speedy recovery from her ordeal, and we were all glad to have been able to help her in her moment of need.’
If you find yourself or anyone in trouble in the water, dial 999 or 112 from a mobile phone and ask for the Coastguard.
RNLI Media contacts
For more information, please contact Craster RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Andy Cowan: [email protected] or, Ian Clayton, RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer at Seahouses: [email protected]
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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