Clyde Coastguard

[seafoods]

As of 20.00 hrs tonight responsibility for the area currently handled by Clyde MRCC will transfer to Belfast MRCC.

 

 

The station at Clyde will not completely shut until late December but staff will not do any SAR work, Belfast will handle it all.

 

 

It is advisable that anyone who needs to contact them in an emergency situation gives a clear, concise and accurate discription of where they are because the watchkeepers at Belfast will not hold the detailed local knowledge of the area that those at Clyde do.

 

 

Those who won't be in that area could offer a prayer for those who might because they'll need all the help they can get.

[robtherake]

Won't there also be a significant increase in response times? I take it this is a "well thought out" cost-cutting initiative.

[Sportsman]

Won't there also be a significant increase in response times? I take it this is a "well thought out" cost-cutting initiative.

 

I would assume that the rescue services (lifeboat / helicopter) will still be coming from the same places so I wouldn't expect an increase in response times.

[seafoods]

I would assume that the rescue services (lifeboat / helicopter) will still be coming from the same places so I wouldn't expect an increase in response times.

 

The CEO of the MCA, Sir Alan Massey accepted at the Transport Select Committee that there may well be a 10 minute increase in response times - Lifeboats, helicopters, coastguard rescue teams etc will indeed be coming from the same places, but instead of someone who knows where they are, and where the casualty is, sending them, it will be someone who doesn't know the area where the casualty is and will have to consult a computer program to find out what rescue units are in the area. There are two places called Kilmory in Clyde's area and one in Stornoway's area for example, somebody in Belfast will have to spend longer finding out which one is meant than somebody at Clyde who would know which questions to ask to determine which particular Kilmory the incident is near.

Edited November 17, 2012 by seafoods

[Sportsman]

The CEO of the MCA, Sir Alan Massey accepted at the Transport Select Committee that there may well be a 10 minute increase in response times - Lifeboats, helicopters, coastguard rescue teams etc will indeed be coming from the same places, but instead of someone who knows where they are, and where the casualty is, sending them, it will be someone who doesn't know the area where the casualty is and will have to consult a computer program to find out what rescue units are in the area. There are two places called Kilmory in Clyde's area and one in Stornoway's area for example, somebody in Belfast will have to spend longer finding out which one is meant than somebody at Clyde who would know which questions to ask to determine which particular Kilmory the incident is near.

 

Point taken

[wurzel]

The CEO of the MCA, Sir Alan Massey accepted at the Transport Select Committee that there may well be a 10 minute increase in response times - Lifeboats, helicopters, coastguard rescue teams etc will indeed be coming from the same places, but instead of someone who knows where they are, and where the casualty is, sending them, it will be someone who doesn't know the area where the casualty is and will have to consult a computer program to find out what rescue units are in the area. There are two places called Kilmory in Clyde's area and one in Stornoway's area for example, somebody in Belfast will have to spend longer finding out which one is meant than somebody at Clyde who would know which questions to ask to determine which particular Kilmory the incident is near.

 

Hello seafoods

 

I think this would only happen if the places of the same name were in close proximity of each other as calls are received and relayed by shore based aerials, for example my area is covered by Thames coast guard based at Walton-on the Naze if I am working 20 miles to the north and call Thames coast guard they will reply that I am loud and clear on their Bawdsy aerial if I'm closer to walton they receive the call on their aerial at Walton on the Naze and 20 miles to the south from their aerial at Bradwell after that you start to come into aerials that relay to Dover coast guard so instantly any call is narrowed down to which ever aerial covers that area.

[seafoods]

Hello seafoods

 

I think this would only happen if the places of the same name were in close proximity of each other as calls are received and relayed by shore based aerials, for example my area is covered by Thames coast guard based at Walton-on the Naze if I am working 20 miles to the north and call Thames coast guard they will reply that I am loud and clear on their Bawdsy aerial if I'm closer to walton they receive the call on their aerial at Walton on the Naze and 20 miles to the south from their aerial at Bradwell after that you start to come into aerials that relay to Dover coast guard so instantly any call is narrowed down to which ever aerial covers that area.

 

Didn't work when the scalloper Aquila capsized mate, and that was Clyde mixing up one of their Kilmory's with Stornoway's one. Clyde was the fourth busiest station in the UK, both Belfast and Stornoway have been used to being much quieter, it will be a shock to the system for them come springtime when the volume of work previously handled by Clyde hits them. The watchkeepers will still have to maintain their current level of local knowledge for their own area while trying to learn a new area as well as handling a much increased workload - it's a big ask. Your point about aerials has some validity on a relatively straight coastline but nowhere near as much on coastline the shape of the west coast of Scotland, especially adding Northern Ireland into it. The aerials previously controlled by Clyde (each MRCC had six) are scattered all over the place on small islands etc. I am a volunteer coastguard and when in our Nissan Patrol at Burrowhead we can (could before Clyde closed) pick up and speak to MRCC's at Liverpool, Belfast and Clyde. Thames is one of the ones due to close also and it will be a similar worry for people like yourself who use the sea in that area when it happens too, unfortunately, staff at the one taking over won't have the same detailed local knowledge as the ones at Thames.

[wurzel]

Didn't work when the scalloper Aquila capsized mate, and that was Clyde mixing up one of their Kilmory's with Stornoway's one.

 

 

Hello seafoods

So much for local knowledge, over the years I've listened on the VHF to a few cock up's by Thames coast guard, it happens.

 

I haven't heard that Thames coast guard is to be closed , last I heard was that Yarmouth was to go and Thames would cover south and Humber to the north of Yarmouth.

[corydoras]

The CEO of the MCA, Sir Alan Massey accepted at the Transport Select Committee that there may well be a 10 minute increase in response times - Lifeboats, helicopters, coastguard rescue teams etc will indeed be coming from the same places, but instead of someone who knows where they are, and where the casualty is, sending them, it will be someone who doesn't know the area where the casualty is and will have to consult a computer program to find out what rescue units are in the area. There are two places called Kilmory in Clyde's area and one in Stornoway's area for example, somebody in Belfast will have to spend longer finding out which one is meant than somebody at Clyde who would know which questions to ask to determine which particular Kilmory the incident is near.

Not to mention; Tarbert Loch Fyne; Tarbert, Isle of Harris; or was that Tarbert Loch Lomond. (Loch Lomond has it's own non-RNLI Rescue Vessel)

[seafoods]

Hello seafoods

So much for local knowledge, over the years I've listened on the VHF to a few cock up's by Thames coast guard, it happens.

 

I haven't heard that Thames coast guard is to be closed , last I heard was that Yarmouth was to go and Thames would cover south and Humber to the north of Yarmouth.

 

 

Call me Dave and that prick Penning won't be advertising it but Thames is closing, Dover will be taking over your area, good job it's a wee quiet station eh? Yarmouth is going right enough, could be worse though - you could have two thirds of the UK coastline and only one mainland coastguard station.