Arranmore RNLI has first call out after official opening of new lifeboat station

After the ceremony was over the crew went home for a well earned rest, or so they thought. Having just finished dinner, relief coxswain Trevor Devereux from Kilmore Quay in Wexford launched the lifeboat just after 8pm in response to a request from Malin Head Coast Guard to perform a medical evacuation from the island to Burtonport.

Trevor said: ‘It just seemed the perfect way to end a day of celebration, this is what we do. We are an emergency service on call 24/7 and ready to respond to a call for the lifeboat at a moment's notice. We wish the patient a speedy recovery.

'It has been a privilege to serve as relief coxswain on Arranmore and to be a part of the opening ceremony of the new station. The crew here are really welcoming as are the whole community. Sometimes, as a relief coxswain it can be quite hard to leave home for several weeks but I have really enjoyed my time on Arranmore and I shall probably be back again while the new Coxswain Kieran is undergoing training’

Ends

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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 142,700 lives.

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