Margate RNLI lifeboat crew and lifeguards rescue two people off lifeboat station

The lifeboat crew were getting ready for their regular afloat training exercise around 6pm on Wednesday (5 September) when a woman alerted them to her teenage son who was struggling in the sea just yards from the lifeboat station. He had been caught by the crashing reflected waves in front of the promenade seawall and his father had entered the sea to assist his son.

The lifeboat crew were immediately able to put their training to the test and using a throw line from the lifeboat’s on-board kit establish a connection with the two casualties from the top of the sea wall and slowly pull them along to the foot of the slipway.

More members of the lifeboat crew, kitted-up in drysuits and lifejackets entered the sea from the slipway to assist the two back on to dry land. An RNLI lifeguard was also present and also entered the sea to assist in their recovery.

The lifeboat crew and lifeguard provided casualty care to the two casualties, also providing reassurance for the boy’s mother. As a precaution the casualties were handed into the care of South East Coast Ambulance Service.

Emma MacFarlane, Launch Authority, Margate RNLI said: “This really was an extraordinarily opportunistic incident. While the lifeboat itself wasn’t launched, rapid and spontaneous assistance by a total of ten RNLI lifeboat personnel and the RNLI lifeguard were able to rescue the crew literally within minutes.

“Had the crew not been at the lifeboat station at the time, the delay in getting assistance could have resulted in a totally different outcome.”

Notes to editors

· Margate lifeboat station has been operating since 1860. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/margate-lifeboat-station

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The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.

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