Palace Cove and Lantic Bay rescues push Polruan past record year

A pager going off twice within minutes rarely means good news, and for one Cornish rescue team on Sunday it meant a beach evacuation, a stretcher carry, and a boat crossing, all inside a single afternoon.

📷Credit: Polruan Coastguard

Two calls within minutes at Palace Cove

At 15:58 the pager sounded for Polruan Coastguard, called to an individual on Palace Cove who had suffered a medical episode and needed extracting from the beach. One of the team happened to already be on scene, and was able to provide immediate support to the casualty before the rest of the team arrived. Between them they completed a full medical assessment, and the casualty’s condition soon improved.

Minutes after the team arrived at Palace Cove, Falmouth Coastguard’s operations centre contacted the officer in charge to ask whether the team could split to attend a second casualty, this time with a back injury, at Lantic Bay.

📷Credit: Polruan Coastguard

A long walk down, and an even longer one up

The team was first on scene at Lantic Bay, soon joined by Fowey RNLI and Looe Coastguard. Together they completed a full assessment and supported the casualty while waiting for further medical support from the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust.

Anyone who knows Lantic Bay will know the walk down is long, and the walk back up feels even longer. With support from the inshore lifeboat on scene, the decision was made to transfer the casualty by boat to Fowey instead, where St Austell Coastguard would oversee the handover from the lifeboat to a waiting ambulance.

📷Credit: Polruan Coastguard

Reuniting a family, and a record already broken

The team’s work at Lantic Bay was not quite finished there. They also supported the casualty’s partner and young family, who were visiting the area, back up to the top of the coast path, and used their local knowledge to help the family reconnect afterwards. A special mention goes to Stewart, one of the Looe colleagues on scene, for taking on a huge responsibility so professionally during the incident.

Sunday’s two taskings, logged as the team’s 21st and 22nd of the year, have already pushed the Coastguard team past its entire total of call-outs from last year, in what has been an unusually busy year so far.

The team wished both casualties a speedy recovery, and thanked all the bystanders who helped with shelter and compassion for everyone involved.

Remember, whenever you need us, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

📷Credit: Polruan Coastguard