Fire-fighters ocean test run turns into real rescue
Cayman Islands Fire Service rescue vessel
(CNS): As the Cayman Islands Fire Service was testing out its new rescue boat last week, the drill quickly turned into a rescue mission for three fire officers. Last Wednesday (2 November) Acting Sub Officer Wayne Whitelocke (captain), Acting Sub Officer Carson McField and Leading Fire Officer Duronnie Myles had been at sea for less than an hour when they were flagged down by another vessel and told about a group of passengers stranded on a tourist boat at the sand bar in North Sound.
“The RFFS immediately responded towards the vessel which was anchored near the Stingray City,” Whitelocke said.
The firefighters found the White Rose 2 had developed engine trouble while carrying tourists, including elderly passengers, who were sick due to the rough seas. The three fire officers took the ten passengers to shore at the George Town Yacht Club, where they were met by the EMS crew and ambulances to take those who needed treatment to the George Town Hospital.
“As experienced fire officers, whenever reporting for duty, there is a mindset of any and everything happening,” Whitelocke stated. “The situation at the sand bar was very choppy and some of the passengers were vomiting and feeling nauseated. It was quite a challenge to dock near the boat for the passengers to offload.”
Chief Fire Officer David Hails said he was happy to see the new launch immediately put to good use.
“We’ve had a similar situation like this before,” he said. “In late August when we got our new thermal imaging cameras, they were put on the vehicles and within an hour the cameras were in use at a fire and played a crucial part in firefighting operations.”
Hails said firefighting capabilities have been enhanced recently with the new equipment. “Firefighters regularly face dangerous situations to keep our communities safe,” he noted. “It’s important to provide them with such crucial rescue equipment, so when duty calls we not only know how to react but we have the tools to get the job done.”
Category: Local News
Well in the MU’s defense, the RCIPS command has placed severale huge obstacles in the way.
1) The MU commander has little to no experience. He isnt even qualified to run any of the boats. Never had any Marine training. In fact since 2000 the MU Commander has never had any MU training. They have only been passing through.
2) Most of the current MU officers, besides 3, have never been in a rough water rescue ie: Norwesters.
3) The only qualified engineer has been on suspension for traffic offenses for over 3yrs now. There is no qualified Chief Engineer to keep the vessels in working order.
4) The RCIPS has continually taken operation funding designated for the MU and used it for other areas of the RCIPS besides the MU and its staff.
Now knowing these four things, do you think the MU would be effective?
Honestly i think these guys do the best they can with the little they are given.
Some of the J.M.U vessels are kept operational by outside contractors & said maintenance is not done in-house as it were , so the lack of their engineer for the most part has nothing to do with the fleets readiness . The unit has had some major interdictions of drugs trafficking across our coastal borders in fairly recent times, with convictions and sentences handed out as a deterrent. In this light , they are doing the best that is possible & deserve full credit and support for doing so .
Well, you seem to have the inside track.
Guess it’s true then that the Chief Engineer, that’s currently on suspension for supposedly traffic offense committed whilst doing his job, was actually saving the Govt a lot of money and keeping the vessels running. Way to go Govt.
And sorry but major interdictions are not really border control when they are intelligence led targeted operations with before hand knowledge of who, where and what, which all were.
What happen to the whilst on routine patrol a vessel was caught with ???? Notice the key word there “whilst on routine patrol” which everyone knows ain’t happening because the boats don’t work, due to no money or maintenance not happening.
No patrols. Simple. Can’t cover/dress it up with fanciful words.
Clearly the policy by the RCIPS JMU of not leaving their base in rough weather which is less than an a minute away from the sandbar is still in place. This is at least 5 occasions now where person lives are put a risk of being loss as in the recent Mullings case where they failed to respond or have not showed up. With all this hyped up media coverage and praise by our UK bosses about their contribution to our safety and welfare ringing in our ears and yet we have our Fire Officers in North sound doing basic inshore sea rescues because their foreign staffed token Caymanian led JMU is safely tucked away in the Calm waters of their Marine Base. Yet in the past when Caymanian officers led by Mr Derek Haines in the then DTF marine police pull off daring rescues in hurricane like conditions. I would like to also point out with a quarter of the funding or sophisticated vessels too. What terrible shame our little place has gone to the nothing now.
Huh?
The UK FCO funded and praised JMU base and special rescue boats is less than a minute away from the Sandbar. what is really going on???? What will be their excuses Now!!!!! The fact is the those very expensive boats are in serious disrepair. Yet we have Sea Experts” from the motherland coming here misleading us. Tell you one thing when Mr Derek Haines was incharge of the DTF Marine Unit this crap was not happening rough seas or not his guys were outhere in Hurricane conditions. Well done Fire Service at least some one is protecting or borders!
Can they swim?.
To the person who can’t understand why the Fire Service is equipped for marine rescue, please remember that our fire service also has responsibility for aerodrome (airport) fire rescue. Our airport and runway happens to be adjacent to the sea and CIFS has to have the capability to respond if an aircraft goes into the water. Do you remember the B737 accident in 1993? Perhaps you weren’t in Cayman then, Johnny-come-Lately!
Superfluous and completely unnecessary dig at the end……why would you ever say something as condescending as that?
Wasn’t it 1991? Perhaps you are a Johnny come lately ? If as 5:17 says you are going to be condescending and superfluous, you might want to be sure you are actually right.
The airport is on land and has a big fire station. Why would the marine unit not be the one to deal with airplane crashes in the water?
actually it was 92
Friday evening, 11th October 1991
We live on an island and people have boats. Firetrucks cant reach boats.
This because our illustrious JMU has mashed up their brand new boats yet again that the uk keeps gloating about ,yes and their lip service is now become unpalatable. We must stop listening to those who help destroy the DTF so they could get their recolonization agenda implemented down with the FCO and its imported functionally illiterate help. Yes and please stop trying to destroy HM Customs by installing the same nasty virus which has devastated the RCIPS. Bigg up the Donald!
I think you managed to mess this up without any help from the UK. Always easy to blame everyone else, hard to admit the truth
Well done fire service. Where was the Joint Marine Unit, Department of enviroment marine officers, The Port Authority patrol? THE GOVERENT has a lot of vessel none on patrol in bad weather in the North Sound, Except the fire department boat which should have been at their boat house at the end of the runway in case of an aircaft emergency.
Did anyone call the JMU? Call 9-1-1? Radio for help to Port Security? If not then don’t blame the JMU for not handling the matter. Did we not learn from the lost boaters incident earlier this year the importance of calling for help ASAP?
It seems that someone just flagged down the Fire Service boat since it was the first government boat they saw? And the fire service handled the situation admirably. Well done.
And even if someone had called 9-1-1, who should they dispatch to the call? Perhaps the closest available government resource… perhaps the Fire Service’s rescue launch that was already on patrol in the area!?
Here here! This is the only comment I have read so far to make sense.
I’ll add my thanks and appreciation to the Fire Service Personnel !!
Really, they weren’t on the ocean, they were in a reef protected lagoon that rarely gets to the extraordinary depths of 15 feet. The Sandbar isn’t exactly the Cayman Trench.
Once again a non story, a story which dozens of private boat owners engage in similar conditions throughout the year, becomes a slap on the back for ‘heroes’ just doing what they’re paid and expected to do.
Personally I’ve dragged many boats off of the Sandbar over the years and taken on frightened or sunburnt passengers exposed to the hot sun. When will you start reporting about real emergencies and genuine ‘calls of duty’ above and beyond what is reasonably expected of a public servant instead of these back slapping fillers. In fact what is expected of every boat owner or operator.
This predilection for ‘bugging yourselves up’ is becoming embarrassing and totally unnecessary.
Good day good Sir, I would dare to assume that if it were you stuck on the boat in rough seas, it could have seemed like an emergency to you. and I know I would sure like to recognize the people that saved me, even if it wasjust a member of the public.
there is a difference between rescue, save and assist.
LIKE!
Why are the firefighters equipped for marine rescue? When was the last boat fire that couldn’t be reached from shore?
The rescue vessel will be in the waters just off the airport, positioned for potential airline water events.
October 15, 2015 Stolen boat set ablaze offshore from North Side.
https://caymannewsservice.com/2015/10/stolen-boat-set-ablaze-at-sea/
Going further back:
July 12, 2007. Boat on fire in North Sound about a quarter mile from the Governor’s Harbour channel. That’s too far for a land based fire hose to work.
http://www.gov.ky/portal/page/portal/cighome/pressroom/archive/200707/boatfire
And for one that could be reached from shore:
Feb 28, 2015. Man injured in flash fire while working on his boat at a dock in George Town.
https://caymannewsservice.com/2015/03/george-town-man-critical-following-boat-fire/
That’s just the first few entries on the first page of results googling “Cayman boat fire”
Most boat fires do not result in the Fire Service issuing a press release.
I’m sure you would be the first to be asking why they aren’t equipped if there is ever a boat fire that can’t be reached from shore… Why do we bother having a fire station at the airport, when was the last time you saw a plane on fire?
Why doesn’t the marine unit have this duty? Why create another marine unit in the fire service. Looks like there was unspent money in the fire budget.
Congratulation Mr. Mcfield and company. Keep up the good work.
On a day of worldwide gloom, a very pleasant article. Well done boys.
Gloom for who? Yesterday was the best news the world has had in years!
Shambles, the one good thing about village idiots is that they are always happy.
Well they can’t be any worse at handling boats than the marine police.
At least the Marine guys puts on their life vest!!