RNLI lifeguards attend two multi-agency rescue operations at Cullercoats

At around 5.10pm RNLI lifeguards received a call alerting them to an incident at Browns Bay where a person had fallen from the cliffs.

RNLI lifeguard Tom Steedman from the lifeguard unit at Cullercoats immediately attended the scene with his medical trauma bag. His colleagues Phil Richie and Matthew Dunn from Longsands beach also attended in the charity’s inshore rescue boat.

The lifeguards performed a casualty care check on the male teenager who had fallen onto the lower promenade. They kept him in stable condition until paramedics arrived. An off-duty RNLI lifeboat crew member also helped at the scene.

The casualty was then transferred to the Air Ambulance in a joint operation involving the Fire Service, Police, Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade and RNLI lifeguards.

This operation was highly specialised and involved extracting the teenager around the side of the cliffs to a safe point of clear grass at the top.

While this incident was unfolding, at around 5.45pm, RNLI lifeguards Jasmine Spokes and Cara Singleton spotted a man who had fallen on rocks near the lifeguard unit at Cullercoats.

They rushed to assist him and performed a casualty care assessment. After administering oxygen and monitoring his breathing, they handed him over to paramedics. He was then airlifted to hospital by Coastguard Rescue Helicopter.

RNLI Lifeguard Manager, Carl Harris said: ‘Both casualties received swift and effective treatment which is testament to the seamless teamwork demonstrated by the agencies involved.

‘All RNLI lifeguards receive comprehensive first aid training as part of the role. This vital training ensured that our lifeguards remained calm under pressure and I am extremely proud of the team.’

The RNLI has no further information on the condition of the casualties.

RNLI Picture caption
The photograph shows the second casualty being transferred for treatment. Credit: RNLI/Adrian Don.

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The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

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