Early morning ambulance call for Seahouses lifeboat
At 4:34am on Sunday 15 July, UK Coastguard requested the launch of Seahouses all-weather lifeboat, to assist the North East Ambulance Service to reach an ill male, in need of urgent medical care, on Holy Island.
The Causeway was closed by the tide. The next safe crossing time was after 9:00am. As the ambulance dispatched was from a nearby Ambulance Station, it was directed to Seahouses Lifeboat Station.
The ambulance arrived at Seahouses as the lifeboat was launching. It was decided to take both ambulance crew to the Island, due to the reported condition of the casualty. The Lifeboat made best speed to the Island, arriving at approximately 5:20am. The ambulance crew were met by a local Coastguard officer who escorted them to the casualty’s location.
The casualty was treated and stabilised, and it was decided that the paramedic should remain with the casualty, while the other ambulance crewman returned with the lifeboat to Seahouses to collect his vehicle.
The ambulance then drove to the causeway, where the local Coastguard would escort him across the causeway to the Island, once it was safe to do so, so the patient could be transported by road to hospital. This was considered the best option.
Seahouses Lifeboat meanwhile returned to station and was refuelled and ready for service at 8:00am that day.
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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