Members of Burnham-On-Sea’s rescue services used their bare hands and spades to dig out a ‘casualty’ from sand on Berrow beach during a sand hole collapse exercise this week.
Burnham-On-Sea and Weston Coastguards, BARB Search & Rescue, beachwardens and RNLI lifeguards took part in the training exercise.
It comes after several recent safety scares on Brean and Berrow beaches this year where children have dug large holes into the dunes, pictured below, risking getting trapped in sand collapses. In these latest cases, no-one was hurt and the holes have been filled.
The teams came together on Wednesday (August 20th) to rehearse the communication, rescue steps and techniques required for locating and reaching someone trapped under sand, quickly and safely.
Burnham Coastguard Officer Dave Welland said: “This was an important training exercise to refresh the teams on how to safely and quickly carry out a rescue following a sand hole collapse.”
“An incident like this is a risk along this stretch of coastline. Deep holes dug into the beach or dunes can collapse, trapping people.”
He warned that the weight of the sand can restrict breathing and cause injuries or even be fatal.
Sand rescues must be carried out gently to avoid adding pressure around the trapped casualty and ensure they can breathe.
A first line of rescuers sweeps back the sand by using their hands to avoid further injury to the person trapped. They are backed up by a second and third line moving the excavated material further away using whatever they can to prevent sand collapsing back into the hole.
If you’re in trouble or have concerns for someone, always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.
