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Loss of life following closure of coastguard stations

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Sbagran Thu 27-Sept-12 07:40:45

I am sure they will joanna when the first loss of life occurs. You can bet your life that they won't accept responsibility.
The same will apply to the wonderful band of 'Coastwatch' volunteers - being blamed I mean, because regardless of the fact it wouldn't have been their fault (you can't successfully bake a cake without the ALL the correct ingredients) they will FEEL responsible.

Please don't get me wrong - I admire the RNLI and all the volunteers and admire their dedication to save lives - with the lifeboats crews often putting themselves in immense danger and occasionally losing their own lives.

All I keep needing to stress is that all the lifeboats in the world cannot help if they are not sent to the correct location ... and that is where the LOCAL knowledge of highly trained Coastguards in stations located all around the UK coastline is vital.

For instance - how many Gnetters have been on holiday to Torquay in South Devon and spent the day on 'the' beach? Would they have known which of the SEVEN beaches in Torquay they were actually on? That is just Torquay - you can double that if you look at 'Torbay' as opposed to 'Torquay' The UK coastline is full of different little beaches and bays, numbering hundreds in a few miles around Scotland especially!

Oh how I agree greatnan - fewer of everything we need except MPs!

One day our elected MPs will listen and act on what their people need -

must go now, my medication is overdue and I am hallucinating!

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johanna Wed 26-Sept-12 19:00:54

Very interesting Sbagran.

The government might even say: " Sorry, we thought the R.N.L.I could do a little more.... You know that very R.N.L.I. which does not cost us a penny!"

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Greatnan Wed 26-Sept-12 18:37:54

Fewer coastguards, police, nurses.......still the same number of MPs.

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vampirequeen Wed 26-Sept-12 16:45:21

Totally agree with you Sbagran. The government are cutting money from an important emergency service. It's all very well them saying the other coastguard stations can cover. What happens if there is a massive storm covering the whole area. It could be virtually impossible to cover it properly.

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Sbagran Wed 26-Sept-12 15:14:04

I'm not sure whether 'In the news' is the correct forum for this as you can be sure that the government will not appreciate this news hitting the headlines!

The first Coastguard Stations listed to be closed will be closing this week. The Coastguard Station at Forth will no longer answer its phones or hear distress calls from mariners or members of the public along the East Coast of Scotland from 28th September! THIS WEEKEND!

That means that from that date staff at Aberdeen and Bridlington will have to take over the cover of the hundreds of miles between the two coastguard stations. Look at a map of Scotland and see the size of that area!
Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security when you are told that the lifeboats will still be there. With every respect to lifeboats crews, they are extremely brave people, but the lifeboat is no use to anyone if it is sent to the wrong place – a few minutes wasted redirecting the lifeboat to the correct place will cost lives.

It beggars belief that the government can truly say to us, the public, that our wellbeing and safety is of paramount concern and that no lives will be lost as a result of the planned closures. The government took absolutely no notice of the pleas from experienced coastguard staff who pointed out the danger of lost local knowledge, the extra workload put onto the existing Stations and the stress put onto staff who already work in a stressful emergency service.

Only three months after the demise of Forth Coastguard Station will come the end of Clyde. Yet again this area will be split between staff of the stations either side – in this case Stornoway and Belfast. Yet again there will be incidents that will end in the loss of life as a direct result of the closures. Many more Coastguard Stations all around the UK are listed to close in the next 12 – 18 months. Each closure will add hundreds of miles of coastline to be covered by the already stretched Coastguard Stations that will remain.

If you feel strongly about these closures PLEASE contact your local MP and demand that they get the government to rethink these closures before it is too late. Will the government hold its hands up and say “Sorry, we were wrong”? - for the families of the dead it would be too late anyway.

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