Late night rescue by RNLI lifeboat crew
A middle-aged man was pulled from the water by the crew of the Sheerness inshore lifeboat late in the evening of Monday 1 November 2021
The volunteer crew of the Sheerness RNLI inshore lifeboat Buster were tasked to an immediate launch by the UK Coastguard at 10.32pm on Monday 1 November in response to reports of a person in the water off the beach in the vicinity of the Catholic Church on Sheerness Broadway.
Launching at 10.48pm with a crew of three the lifeboat made best speed to the area and was on scene within four minutes, where with the assistance of the Sheppey Coast Guard Rescue Team on shore equipped with torches, the casualty was quickly spotted, floating face upwards approximately 30 metres offshore and drifting on the strong ebb tide.
The man was swiftly extracted from the water and was landed ashore at 10.54pm where the lifeboat crew along with the Sheppey Coastguard unit members administered oxygen and wrapped him in thermal blankets due his being extremely cold
With the arrival of an Ambulance crew on scene the ILB crew and Sheppey Coastguard carried the man on a stretcher along the seafront to an access ramp on the main road where the Ambulance was waiting to transport him to hospital.
With the casualty safely in the care of the Ambulance crew the lifeboat was released from the incident at 11.25pm, returning to station 11.30pm, refuelled and ready for service again at 11.50pm.
Weather part cloudy, Wind SW F3, Sea state calm, visibility good.
Sheerness RNLI spokesman Vic. Booth said: ’at the present time we have no information as to how or why the man was in the water, but can only say that without the rapid response and expertise of the teams involved the outcome would have sadly been very different.’
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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