Blackpool RNLI volunteers rescue man after fall from sea wall
Blackpool’s RNLI volunteers were called out in the early hours of Sunday morning (5th June) after the Coastguard received a 999 call from a member of the public who had seen a man fall from the sea wall at North Shore.
The casualty had fallen from the sea wall near the boating pool shortly before 1.3oam. People fishing nearby had thrown a life ring to the casualty but had been unable to pull him to safety. They called 999 and Blackpool’s RNLI volunteers launched both of the station’s D class lifeboats. Having reached the scene the RNLI volunteers helped the man into the lifeboat before transferring him to a waiting ambulance.
RNLI volunteer helmsman Shaun Wright said ‘the man that we rescued this evening was very lucky indeed. Had it not been for the quick thinking of the members of the public who called 999 and threw a life ring to him we might not have reached him in time. Fortunately we got to him quickly, he was suffering from the effects of the cold but he was otherwise unharmed.
Our station is manned entirely by volunteers and we dedicate a lot of time to training and rescue but when an incident has a positive outcome it makes it all worthwhile.’
RNLI media contacts
For more information please contact Esther Lowe Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, RNLI Blackpool on 01253 508603 or 07917091948. Alternatively please contact Alison Levett, RNLI Public Relations Manager, North, on 01642 750585 or 07786 668912.
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.
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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
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