|
Burnham
Hovercraft Home Page > Burnham Hovercraft
News Archive
Published:
March 4th, 2007
Burnham
Coastguard and hovercraft teams rehearse Berrow mud rescue
 With
just weeks to go until the start of the tourist season along Somerset's
coastline, teams from Burnham-On-Sea's coastguard and hovercraft
groups are gearing up for a busy summer of rescues.
On
Sunday (March 4th), the two teams rehearsed the rescue of three
people trapped on the treacherous mudflats at Berrow.
 During
the two-hour exercise, the Coastguard's Mud Rescue Team pulled
several 'casualties' free almost a mile out into the mud west
of Berrow Church. They were flown to safety onboard the Spirit
Of Lelaina hovercraft.
The
exercise - which involved over 30 rescue personnel - was carried
out in driving rain and strong winds and acted as a good test
for both teams ahead of the start of the busy tourist season in
a few weeks' time.
The
mudflats at Berrow have been at the centre of many real rescues
in recent years.
 Ron
Phipps, the Coastguard's Severn Sector Manager, said: "We
had a very good exercise today to demonstrate the Coastguard and
hovercraft teams working together."
"There
were no problems at all - it was an excellent exercise that went
very smoothly."
Alan
Miller, Chairman of BARB, the charity behind the hovercraft, added:
"Lots of different procedures and tasks were practised and
we were happy with the outcome. This was a very successful exercise
for both teams."
RELATED
LINKS:
Video coverge
of this exercise
Burnham Hovercraft Official Web site
Burnham Coastguards Official
Web site
|
