Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat volunteer crew was called out at midnight on Saturday morning following multiple reports of a red flare sighting in the Dysart area.
The lifeboat crew was requested to undertake an inshore search from Kinghorn to West Wemyss, and then back to Dysart harbour.
Lifeboat helm, Leanne Taylor, said, ‘We were tasked to search from Kinghorn north-eastwards to West Wemyss. Using a searchlight and a night-vision scope, we searched for possible vessels in distress.
‘Coastguard rescue teams from Kinghorn, Leven, and St Andrews undertook a shoreline search, including all harbour areas for vessels ashore, or evidence of a flare being fired.
‘Our search took almost three hours, and following a comprehensive search, and further consultation with first informants it was concluded that the flare had been set off from land.
‘We would remind people that the firing of red distress flares, when no genuine emergency exists, is illegal under the Merchant Shipping Act. Flares can also be very dangerous if safety precautions are not taken.
‘If you have unwanted or expired distress flares, these can be disposed of via approved disposal facilities or sites, which vary by locality’
Kinghorn lifeboat crew was Leanne Taylor, Neil Chalmers, Suzanne Baillie, and John Ketchin.
Notes to editors
Kinghorn lifeboat station has been operating since 1965. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to www.rnli.org.uk/kinghorn
RNLI media contacts
For more information, please telephone Neil Chalmers, RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 07767 380274 or [email protected] or Richard Smith on 07786 668903 or at [email protected] Henry Weaver on 07771 943026 or at [email protected] or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336789.
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For more information on the RNLI please visit www.rnli.org.uk. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI Press Centre www.rnli.org.uk/press
Key facts about the RNLI
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.
