Open water rescue a success, but a lot more needs to be done

by Donald DeRiggs Fri, Jul 18, 2014

After five months of planning, which included several meetings with stakeholders and sponsors, Operation Mike Charlie, an open water rescue simulation, was successfully staged on Friday, May 30, 2014. The major stakeholders for this exercise {{more}}were local fishermen, the SVG Coast- guard, a Grenadines ferry, the MV Guidance II, the local Red Cross and the Rainbow Radio League Inc, organizers of the event.

On Friday, May 30, 2014, a flotilla comprising two fishing boats, an inter island ferry and the SVG Coastguard “rescued” eight persons whose plane had ditched. The victims had a range injuries, with both fishermen and coastguard rescuers taking them out of the water. The most serious ones were taken aboard the MV Guidance II, where they were stabilized by Red Cross first aiders.

According to organizer of the event Donald De Riggs (chief executive officer of the RRL), this exercise was designed to expose first responders to “hands-on” experience in open water rescue, citing that the last two aeronautical accidents in our territory happened in the night with the planes crashing into the sea, which made the response action more difficult without adequate SAR equipment. He noted that the Coastguard alone would not be able to effectively manage a mass casualty event and therefore training with other stakeholders would go a long way in increasing the chances of survival for victims in peril.

The RRL wishes to thank the sponsors of the event, which include SOL petroleum, SINGER, NTRC, the MV Guidance II, and fishing vessels “Jah Love” and “Ray J”. Maximum support came from the SVG Coastguard, NEMO, Red Cross and RRL members and supporters. Don De Riggs went on to say that this event also put the membership of the RRL in a state of readiness for the official start of the 2014 hurricane season. The theme for Operation Mike Charlie was “fostering inter-agency cooperation.” The objectives were achieved.

A video clip of OMC is available for viewing on the following link:

http://youtu.be/6dNr8-8uPaU