Cardigan News
New Quay RNLI crew commended for skillful rescue
10:09am Friday 17th February 2012
Four RNLI volunteers from New Quay have been honoured for rescuing an angler who sustained serious head injuries after falling on to rocks. The crew have each been praised for their part in attending to the 70-year-old man who required urgent medical attention after falling sixteen feet from a cliff at Ynys Lochtyn near Llangrannog last September.
The highest accolade was presented to Gary Hartley, who last night (16 February) received a Certificate for Exceptional First Aid to a Casualty. It is the first time an RNLI volunteer in Wales has been presented with such an honour and only the eighth time across the UK and Ireland the award has been presented. This award is exceptionally bestowed and awarded by the RNLI in circumstances where lives are saved under the most difficult of conditions.
Tim Harrison received a Letter of Commendation and Thanks signed by Professor Charles Deakin, Chairman of the Medical and Survival committee of the RNLI. Both Simon Rigby and Bernard Davies were presented with Letters of Thanks signed by Paul Boissier, Chief Executive of the RNLI. The presentations were made by Colin Williams, Divisional Inspector of lifeboats for Wales, at a ceremony in the boathouse.
The inshore RNLI lifeboat, the Amy Lea, was called out at 6pm on 27 September and the volunteer crew, with Bernard Davies at the helm, made haste to the scene. It was obvious that the man was in a serious condition and on arrival RNLI volunteer Gary Hartley immediately administered oxygen and first aid having assessed the man’s condition. The lifeboat crew then prepared the casualty for evacuation from the shoreline due to the tide rising rapidly around them.
The injured man was transferred by scoop stretcher to the RNLI lifeboat, where Gary continued to give first aid whilst the lifeboat moved clear of the shoreline. The RAF rescue helicopter "Rescue 169" had arrived from Chivenor and their paramedic was lowered to the inshore lifeboat but the casualty was in too poor a condition to be winched up. The helicopter was instead requested to land on Llangrannog beach, where the lifeboat was beached and the casualty carefully transferred to the aircraft. He was then airlifted to Withybush Hospital, where he underwent a long period of treatment.
Roger Couch, Lifeboat Operation Manager at New Quay, said: ‘I am very proud of the way in which the volunteer crew carried out this rescue. The way they handled the boat, tended to the casualty and transferred him to and from the inshore lifeboat was exemplary, especially as the fast incoming tide dictated that things had to be done very rapidly. Coincidentally, our training session on the previous evening had involved practical exercises with the rescue helicopter which proves the relevance and quality of the training provided by the RNLI.
‘I am thrilled that the volunteer crew at New Quay have been honoured for this rescue – the awards are thoroughly deserved.’