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June
21, 2005
Brean Down cliff rescue rehearsed by Coastguard
and hovercraft teams
Burnham's
Coastguard and hovercraft crews have rehearsed a dramatic cliff
rescue at Brean Down as they gear up for another busy summer season
of life saving along Somerset's coastline.
 The
teams were put through their paces on the south side of the Down
this week - the scene of many real-life rescues in recent years.
Due
to the steepness of the cliffs, it is often difficult for the
Coastguard's Cliff Rescue Team to see casualties who have fallen
into the ravines below.
Therefore,
the crew onboard the Spirit Of Lelaina hovercraft play a vital
role in locating casualties on the cliffs from the mud below and
guiding the cliff rescuers down over the rough terrain to their
target using radio communication.
In
this exercise, the crew directed the Coastguard's
climber Stuart Browning down
the steep cliffs to the casualty at
the foot of the cliffs before he made the ascent back up again.
The
two-hour exercise, involving 25
crewmembers from the Coastguard and hovercraft teams, comes at
the start of the busy summer tourist season when many holidaymakers
visit Brean Down and foolishly clamber over the steep cliffs.
"We
would advise people to stay well away from the edge," said
Robin Hewlett, Burnham Coastguard deputy station officer. "The
crumbling, slippy surface makes it incredibly dangerous."
He
added that the exercise had been a success and had fully tested
the two rescue teams. "This exercise required a wide range
of skills from both the hovercraft and Coastguard teams, who worked
closely together to carry out a difficult rescue."
Alan
Miller, chairman of the BARB hovercraft group, added: "This
event once again showed how Burnham's emergency services work
together in a highly professional and co-ordinated manner. It
was very impressive."
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