Walmer RNLI tasked to jet ski incident

Walmer's D Class inshore lifeboat Duggie Rodbard, crewed by Andrew Coe, Steve Emptage and James Evans was paged at 7.32pm, Thursday 26 July, to an incident where a jet ski had collided with Deal Pier. On arriving at the scene the two skiers, along with the damaged craft, had made it safely to shore. An onlooker had entered the water to try to help but was overcome and helped to the shore by the jet skiers. Lifeboat crew administered oxygen and casualty care before handing the person over to the emergency services.

Speaking after the incident Lifeboat Operations Manager Denis Brophy said, 'If you see someone in trouble many people's first instinct is to enter the water. As a result, they can get themselves in difficulty. Our advice is that if you see anybody in danger of drowning, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard. If you can find something that floats, throw it out to them and encourage them to stay calm.'

The lifeboat returned to station at 8.40pm where it was washed down and made ready for service.

RNLI media contacts

• Chris Winslade, Lifeboat Press Officer, Walmer Lifeboat Station 01304 374475, 07906 623037 [email protected]

· Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer (London/East/South East) on 0207 620 7426, 07785 296252, [email protected]

· For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

RNLI online: For more information on the RNLI please visit http://www.rnli.org/. News releases and other media resources, including RSS feeds, downloadable photos and video, are available at the RNLI News Centre.

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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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