UK coastguard starts review of local search & rescue
(CNS): Two officers from the UK Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) have arrived in the Cayman Islands to begin a review of the local search and rescue capabilities, a project which is being funded by the British government. National Maritime Operations Commander Phil Bostock and MCA International Projects Co-coordinator Naomi Davies will be here for two weeks, working with relevant government agencies, such as the police, fire service, customs and immigration, to see how search and rescue operations can be improved.
The announcement that the Cayman Islands would be the first place to be reviewed in a project across the British Overseas Territories was made by Baroness Anelay, the UK minister responsible, when she visited the islands in October.
Cayman was also reviewed by the UK coastguard after five people were lost at sea in March this year. Emergency services had struggled to conduct a search and rescue because of the limited resources for conducting night searches across wide swathes of ocean in rough conditions.
Governor Helen Kilpatrick made an application to the UK for funding from the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund to look at what Cayman really needs to have a proper search and rescue service, and the project grew to incorporate all Britain’s Caribbean territories, as well as Bermuda and the Falkland Islands.
“This project provides an excellent opportunity to review how the Cayman Islands provides search and rescue services,” said Kilpatrick. “Operations, equipment and legislation are constantly evolving and the cooperation with the UK MCA will help to ensure that we can keep up to date with developments and ensure seafarers around our islands are as safe as possible.”
The MCA officers will review what resources Cayman has and how they are deployed to produce a strategy giving clear advice on appropriate policies, procedures, staffing, training and equipment to enhance search and rescue capability in a cost-effective and appropriate way.
As well as talking with frontline personnel, the UK officers will also meet with focus groups, local boat captains, industry representatives and other interested parties.
In the absence of a local coastguard, the RCIPS is at the forefront of search and rescue, supported by relevant agencies, such as customs, immigration, the Department of Environment and the fire service.
Police Commissioner Derek Byrne, who is currently tasked with an internal review of the police service welcomed the MCA officers.
He said the police looked forward “to their assessment and recommendations as to the kind of search and rescue capabilities the islands should have, the resources required in terms of personnel and equipment, and how all agencies ensuring public safety and border protection can coordinate effectively to manage critical incidents on the water”.
Category: Local News
Having mandatory safety gear aboard boats that operate around Cayman would also be an idea. Some safe boating training is done in many areas.
always good to see more expert expats here….
What has customs and immigration got to do with search and rescue? And for that matter fire with their end of the runway boat.
DOE, Fire Service, etc…, none of whom are trained in SAR. The allocation of joint assets into a potentially life threatening situation is grossly negligent unless the allocator or controller is an expert in SAR and his assets are properly trained and equipped. For heavens sake, the CIFS have a useless landing craft/river ferry and the rest can barely muster enough boats to surround Fishermans Rock due to a lack of funding, appalling boat skills and negligent behaviour, and even worse maintenance.
SAR should be handled by expert operatives only, not wannabes.
1) Customs are on the list because they are historically part of the ‘Joint Marine Unit’, joint because they’re usually looking for drug boats so the Customs officers are there for the ‘illegal shipment’ arrest.
2) Fire Service boat. Parked ready to go with the keys in her. (I assume.) Meaning that for a rescue in the North Sound it is potentially the fastest boat to mount a response with. Similarly, if there is a ‘big’ incident that requires additional emergency responders the Fire Service has the most trained ‘multi-function’ staff on hand to help on a boat or on land while EMS triage and transport victims to the hospital and police control the scene. (I assume those are the logical role divisions.)
Welcome to a small island where sometimes you need to be able make the most use of your resources, especially in preparation for ‘unusual’ events. (Think the pictures from the Mediterranean; imagine a ‘flotilla’ of Cuban boat people needing rescue and assistance. All hands on deck and we’ll appreciate having planned ahead of time how the ‘2nd-responders’ are able to fit in to the overall emergency response.)
Yes 3:45pm its despicable idiots just like you that try to make people believe they are doing so much for Cayman When it is infact DISGRACE and tantmount to theft of our monies what the UK and its hire help has done to the RCIPS and previously effective units.
Err – you read the bit where it said that this is all being paid for by the UK taxpayer, through the Conflict, Security and Stability Fund? For historical (and debatable) reasons the units are not effective now – so either leave them that way and see more people drown, or take some free advice from real experts and sort the problems out.
Or sit an post nonsense about it and achieve nothing
SAR is one piece of the puzzle. Hopefully future reviews will include border security, transshipment interdiction, mid-ocean refueling enterprises, and refugee repatriation. We need the UK’s help to get a handle on what’s coming and going around our waters.
This is outstanding. A report was commissioned and now the recommendations are being actioned. This is really the new CIG.
Impressed!
Outstanding my A$$ coming here now looking work and to reinvent the wheel over again for the clones it has installed in power. Same old colonial game.
And that’s the third world mentality we know and ignore.
That shouldn’t take long! It’s nonexistent!
Rule Britannia.