
Boxing Day double tasking for New Brighton RNLI
Volunteer crews at New Brighton RNLI were tasked twice in quick succession on Boxing Day, to casualties in danger in the River Mersey on a very foggy evening.
Festivities and celebrations were put on hold for the crew of New Brighton’s Atlantic-85 inshore lifeboat when the pager sounded at approximately 5pm on Thursday 26 December, Boxing Day 2024.
The initial tasking from HM Coastguard was to a person in the water at Liverpool’s Pier Head. This incident was resolved when the casualty self-recovered a short time later and the lifeboat was stood down just prior to launching. Upon returning to the boathouse and preparing the lifeboat for service once again, a second tasking came in almost immediately, at 5:15pm.
The second report was to a second person in the water in the Egremont vicinity, on the Wirral side of the river. The lifeboat launched quickly and was first on scene, conducting initial shoreside searches in difficult conditions, with visibility at less than 200m in thick, low fog. They were very quickly joined by Marine Fire One, a Merseyside Fire and Rescue search and rescue asset.
The casualty was shortly recovered safely to ambulance and fire crews shoreside, and all units were stood down by HM Coastguard to return to station and prepare for service once more.
Adam Bidston, helm for both taskings, said:
‘This was an urgent tasking in tricky conditions, but the crew performed exceptionally well, with excellent communication throughout. Thankfully both incidents had good outcomes with all being safe and well.
Many of our crew were just sitting down to relax with their Boxing Day tea, so this was a good reminder that we are on service 24 hours a day, 7 days a week all year round to keep our coastlines safe. If you’re heading out for a festive walk over the holidays, always carry a means of communication with you and, if you or someone else get into difficulty, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.’
Notes to Editors:
New Brighton RNLI was established in 1863 in the bustling seaside resort of New Brighton, on the northeast corner of the Wirral peninsula. They cover the River Mersey and out into the Irish Sea.
The station is home to a B-class Atlantic 85 lifeboat, one of the fastest in the RNLI fleet. The crews at New Brighton have been presented with a remarkable 48 awards for gallantry to date.
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