First Call Out of 2025 for Kippford RNLI

Just as many of the crew were thinking about enjoying a Sunday lunch the pagers sounded for the first time this year. The Kippford volunteers quickly assembled at the lifeboat station and were tasked to an incident in the Balcary Bay area.

Initial reports suggested that a person had fallen from the cliff and the Kippford inshore lifeboat Ronnie Sinclair was requested to attend the scene and determine if a rescue from the sea was possible. It was soon established that the person was uninjured but unable to move up or down from their position.

The lifeboat crew were joined by Police Scotland and UK Coastguard teams from Kirkcudbright, Portling and Portpatrick on the clifftop. As the Coastguard volunteers assessed the options for a rope rescue they were informed that a Coastguard helicopter was less than ten minutes from the location and was being diverted to help.

The sea state on scene was moderate with swells of up to 3m making access to the base of the cliff tricky. The lifeboat crew were able to communicate verbally with the casualty and provide reassurance that help was on the way. The crew then stood by ready to provide further assistance if required.

Rescue Helicopter 936 arrived on scene and was able to winch the casualty from their position to a place of safety on the clifftop. Thankfully they were unharmed and able to speak to the Coastguard teams on scene.

The Kippford lifeboat then returned to station where the shore crew washed down and refuelled the boat ready for the next service.

Mitch Panteli, Kippford RNLI Helm, said: ‘This was a great example of how different search and rescue agencies work together for a successful outcome. We train regularly with our neighbouring Coastguard team and it was great that we could provide backup and reassurance during this incident whilst the Coastguard team carried out the rescue.’

Notes to editors

· Kippford Lifeboat Station has been operating since 1966. To learn more about the station go to https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/kippford-lifeboat-station

· Photo shows Kippford lifeboat D-854 returning to station after the rescue on Sunday

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Laura Wilson, Lifeboat Press Officer, 07756 125917, [email protected]

Natasha Rushby, RNLI Regional Communications Manager for Scotland, 07826 900639, [email protected]

Martin Macnamara, RNLI Regional Communications Lead for Scotland, 07920 365929, [email protected]

RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789

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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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