North Atlantic Coast Guard Forum – Ireland

The Irish Coast Guard is the uniformed emergency response branch of the Department of  Transport, and is responsible for response to, and coordination of, maritime accidents requiring Search and Rescue and, Counter Pollution and Salvage operations. It also has responsibility for vessel traffic monitoring. Operations in respect of maritime security, illegal drug trafficking, illegal migration and fisheries enforcement are coordinated by other bodies within the Irish government, and the full Irish delegation to the NACGF by subject matter is as follows:

The Head of Delegation is the Director of the Irish Coast Guard, Chris Reynolds. The Irish Navy also attend all meetings.

Further enquiries to Coast Guard administration at:

Tel:         +35316782000
e-mail:   admin@irishcoastguard.ie

Useful Irish Websites are:

The Irish Coast Guard

 
The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) has the responsibility for our national system of marine emergency management in Irelands EEZ and inland waterways. The Coast Guard is part of the Department of Transport. The marine emergency management functions Irish Coast Guard carries out are as follows:

• To provide a national marine search and rescue response service, including a service to the off-shore islands;
• To provide a coastal, inland and, where appropriate, cliff search and rescue service;
• To provide a post-emergency body search and recovery service and relative liaison;
• To develop and co-ordinate an effective regime in relation to marine pollution cooperation, preparedness & response including the direction and coordination of on-shore and at sea recovery operations;
• Approving harbour/port, local authority and off-shore oil pollution & HNS response plans;
• To provide a response to marine casualty incidents and to monitor/intervene in marine salvage operations;
• Issuing directions or taking direct action under the Minister's powers of intervention to prevent, mitigate or eliminate pollution;
• National Competent Authority for European Communities (minimum requirements for vessels carrying dangerous or polluting goods) regulations (HAZMAT);
• Acting as the national maritime security single point of contact;
• Internationally designated Marine Assistance Service (MAS) for Ireland and act as a national point of contact between vessels and coastal states;
• To provide a safety awareness and public information service in relation to the discharge of the functions set out above;
• To provide a maritime safety communications and national digital paging network;
• Provide a medical advisory service through Medico Cork at Cork university hospital;
• Agreeing and exercising the passenger vessel/ferry search and rescue plan required by SOLAS; and,
• To provide a national automatic identification system and maritime awareness service of shipping and coastal traffic and deliver that picture to relevant parties.

The Coast Guard delivers its marine emergency response through a mixture of declared resources and craft/services of opportunity. Of the declared services the Coast Guard directly manages and controls a number of these including 3 Marine rescue coordination centres, 6 medium lift SAR helicopters at 4 bases, 55 Volunteer rescue teams with 1000 volunteers and a national communications, paging and shipping monitoring network. The three co-ordination/communication centres are at MRCC Dublin, MRSC Malin Head and MRSC Valentia for marine emergency management. Operational activities are divided into three Divisions – Search and Rescue Operations (SAR Ops), Voluntary Services & Training and Pollution & Salvage Ops whose Headquarters are at Leeson Lane, Dublin 2.  An Engineering & Logistics Section at Blanchardstown and an Administration Section augments the operational functions.

History

The Irish Coast Guard, formed in 1822, had revenue protection and coastal defence roles and was also a reserve force for the Royal Navy.  The duties formerly performed by Her Majesty’s Coastguard (HMCG) were taken over by Saorstát Eireann (Irish Free State) and the Coast Lifesaving Service (CLSS) was established as late as 1923.  It was later renamed the Coast and Cliff Rescue Service.  In 1991 the service was renamed the Irish Marine Emergency Service, better known as IMES.  In the year 2000, it became the Irish Coast Guard, which better denotes the service provided.  

The Roles of Rescue of the Irish Coast Guard

Some of the main roles of the Irish Coast Guard are to rescue people from danger at sea or on land, to organise immediate medical transport and to assist boats and ships within the country’s jurisdiction.  Each year the IRCG co-ordinates the response to thousands of incidents at sea and on the cliffs and beaches of Ireland.  It does this through its Marine Rescue Centres which are currently based in Dublin, Malin Head (Co. Donegal) and Valentia Island (Co. Kerry).  Each Centre is responsible for search and rescue (SAR) operations and the day to day running of its allocated Division. 

Dublin as well as providing marine search and rescue response services is also the centre which co-ordinates the response to marine casualty incidents within the Irish Pollution Responsibility Zone/EEZ. MRSC Valentia and MRSC Malin Head are 24/7 Centres coordinating SAR response in their areas of responsibility (See Annex A & B). SAR Operations are supported by a decision support systems including SarMap, OilMap and ChemMap, which provides incident management and recording; resource selection and alerting; logging and databases, predict the movement of drifting targets at sea; automated weather inputs and production of search areas and optimum search coverage plans for search units.

The Marine Rescue Sub Centre (MRSC) Valentia is the contact point for routine operational matters in the area between Ballycotton and Clifden. MRSC Malin Head is the contact point for routine operational matters in the area between Clifden and Lough Foyle. MRCC Dublin is the contact point for routine operational matters in the area between Carlingford Lough and Ballycotton. Each MRCC/MRSC broadcasts Maritime Safety Information (MSI) on VHF and, in some cases, MF radio in accordance with published schedules. MSI includes navigational warnings as issued by the UK Hydrographic Office; Gale Warnings, Shipping Forecasts, Local Inshore Forecasts, Strong Wind Warnings and Small Craft Warnings as issued by the Irish Meteorological Office. This communications watch includes a distress watch on the international VHF distress frequency.

The IRCG, within its area of responsibility and accountability, administers a search and rescue, medical advice and evacuation system which ensures efficient and effective mobilisation, availability and appropriate use of declared facilities and facilities of opportunity.  Assistance is provided to any persons in distress or who appear to be in distress regardless of their nationality or status or the circumstances in which those persons are found.
 
Within each Coast Guard Division there are many declared SAR resources such as:

• Coast Guard Volunteer Coastal Units (CG CU’s) capable of search, cliff and coastal rescue;
• Lifeboats provided by the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and Community Rescue Boats Ireland;
• Four SAR helicopters under contract to the IRCG (Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo).

At the Marine Rescue Centres, there is a 24-hour watch in order to react to emergency calls as quickly as possible.  It is necessary for the IRCG to maintain thorough information on the location of ships and boats.  Many ships are equipped with automatic location equipment, which transmits information about their location at regular intervals, so that their whereabouts can be monitored on the screen at the Marine Rescue Centres.

Provision of Medical Link Calls

The Coast Guard also provides Irelands 24/7 Radio Medical Advice Service whereby vessels making calls on either VHF or MF radio, or telephone call requiring medical advice or assistance are provided with a radio/telephone link to Medico Cork in Cork University Hospital or to foreign Medico Centres. If medical advice requires the casualty to be taken off the vessel then the MRCC/MRSC providing the link will arrange for the casualty to be transported from the vessel to a hospital. IRCG Responders or aircrew dealing with patients in remote locations can be linked live through a Coordination centre on marine communications to Medico Cork or any foreign Medico Centre.

Coast Guard Helicopters

The Irish Coast Guard has contracted six medium-lift Sikorsky Search and Rescue helicopters deployed at bases in Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo. The helicopters are designated wheels up from initial notification in 15 minutes during daylight hours and 45 at night. One aircraft is fitted and its crew trained for under slung cargo operations up to 3000kgs and is available on short notice based at Waterford.
 
Expected performance criteria:

• Achieve launch time of 15 minutes on urgent calls from normal ground readiness between 0700 – 2100;
• Achieve a launch time of 45 minutes on urgent calls from normal ground readiness between 2100 - 0700.

These aircraft respond to emergencies at sea, inland waterways, offshore islands and mountains of Ireland (32 counties). They can also be used for assistance in flooding, major emergencies inland, intra-hospital transfers, pollution, and aerial surveillance during daylight hours, lifting and passenger operations and other operations as authorized by the Coast Guard within appropriate regulations. The Coast Guard can contract specialised aerial surveillance or dispersant spraying aircraft at short notice internationally.

Helicopter tasks include:

• The location of marine and aviation incident survivors by homing onto aviation and marine radio distress transmissions, by guidance from other agencies, and by visual, electronic and electro-optical search. IRCG Helis are fitted with AIS, nightsun, FLIR (forward looking infa red) and video recording equipment;
• The evacuation of survivors from the sea, and medical evacuees from all manner of vessels including high-sided passenger and cargo vessels and from the islands;
• The evacuation of personnel from ships facing potential disaster;
• Search and/or rescue in mountainous areas, caves, rivers, lakes and waterways;
• The transport of offshore fire-fighters (MFRTs) or ambulance teams (MARTs) and their equipment following a request for assistance;
• The provision of safety cover for other SAR units including other Marine Emergency Service helicopters;
• Pollution, casualty and salvage inspections and surveillance, and the transport of associated personnel and equipment;
• Inter-agency training in all relevant aspects of the primary role;
• Onshore emergency medical service, including evacuation and air ambulance tasks;
• Relief of the islands and of areas suffering from flooding or deep snow.

The secondary roles of the helicopter are:

• The exercise of the primary search, rescue and evacuation roles in adjacent Search and Rescue regions;
• Assistance to onshore emergency services, such as in the evacuation of high-rise buildings;
• Public safety awareness displays and demonstrations;
• Providing helicopter expertise for seminars and training courses.

IRCG provide aeronautical assets for Search and Rescue in the Mountains of Ireland.  Request for IRCG assets are made to the Marine Rescue Centres.  Requests are accepted from An Garda Síochána and nominated persons in Mountain Rescue Teams.

Voluntary Services & Training

Voluntary Services & Training Division is responsible for the management of all IRCG Coastal Units, Community Rescue Boats Ireland, other voluntary SAR organisations, mountain and cave rescue, logistics (stores, equipment, buildings, vehicles, etc.) and training of IRCG full-time and voluntary staff.

The Coast Guard volunteer network is strategically positioned around the coastline of Ireland and on the inland waterways (See Annex C). There are 55 Units with 100 volunteers available 24/7/365. Teams are called out by the Coast Guards national digital paging system operated from MRCC/SC’s and should not be contacted locally except after initial contact is made with the Coordination Centre.

Expected response criteria:

• Achieve a 90% response time of 10 minutes for an initial response team departing the Stationhouse from notification by an MRCC/MRSC during daylight and 20 minutes at night;
• Achieve a 90% response time to the scene of the incident in less than 60 minutes from notification by an MRCC/SC during daylight and 75 minutes at night subject to geographical limitations.

Volunteer Units are all equipped with search vehicles fitted with blue lights, all-terrain vehicles (Quads), first aid equipment and training, generators and area lighting, search equipment, marine radios, pyrotechnics and appropriate PPE. Each team is trained in search skills, first aid, setting up helicopter landing sites and a variety of maritime skills. Certain Units are also equipped and trained as cliff rescue units and can either respond locally or be air lifted to an incident. Other teams strategically located along the coast are equipped with either rescue, patrol or transport inshore craft in the 4 – 9m range. An Officer in Charge (3 stripes) assisted by a Deputy Officer in Charge (2 stripes) manages each unit.
 
Coast Guard volunteer search and rescue teams nationwide in 2009.

Protection Against Pollution

The Irish Coast Guard has a very important role with regard to the protection of the ocean and the coasts against pollution.  In the case of an imminent pollution accident, the IRCG has the right to intervene in ships’ operations, and the organisation bears the responsibility to do everything within its power to prevent pollution accidents.

IRCG is responsible for developing and co-ordinating an effective regime for:

• Preparedness and response to spills of oil and other hazardous substances within the Irish Pollution Responsibility Zone;
• Providing an effective response to marine casualty incidents;
• Monitoring or intervening in marine salvage operations.

IRCG provides and maintains 24 hour marine pollution notification at the three Marine Rescue Centres; develops approved pollution response plans in all harbours and ports, oil handling facilities, marine local authorities and offshore installations; provides and maintains a national stockpile of pollution equipment; and co-ordinates exercises and tests of national and local pollution response plans on an ongoing basis.

IRCG is the representative of the wider public interest in the protection of the environment following a marine incident where there is pollution or a significant threat of pollution.

IRCG’s customers are the commercial and recreational users of the sea, Harbour and Local Authorities whose livelihood, property and amenities might be damaged in a pollution incident and/or their lives put at risk.

Engineering & Logistics

Engineering & Logistics Division is responsible for the communications infrastructure to support the Marine Rescue Centres.  They maintain 19 VHF voice and DSC radio sites situated around the Irish coastline and a national digital paging system.  In addition there are two VHF repeater test sites, four MF radio sites and two NAVTEX transmitter sites.  These resources are wireline connected through to the manned control centres at Dublin, Malin Head and Valentia.  Responsibility is also extended to the communications equipment in use by the Coast Guard volunteers around the Irish coastline.

Administration

The Administration Section provides a support service to all the other Divisions in the organisation including the Coast Guard Units and Marine Rescue Centres.  This would include all matters relating to finance, payments, committees, conferences, assisting with compliance with Departmental requirements and other miscellaneous administrative duties.

The Irish Coast Guard can be contacted at the following address:

Irish Coast Guard Headquarters
Department of Transport
Leeson Lane
Dublin 2

Tel:  +353 (01) 6783455/6
Fax:  +353 (01) 6783459
Web: www.ircg.ie

If an emergency dial 999 or 112 and ask for the Coast Guard.