The purpose of the IRCG is to establish, promote and enforce safety and security standards, and by doing so, prevent as far as possible, the loss of life at sea, and on inland waters, mountains and caves, and to provide effective emergency response services and to safeguard the quality of the marine environment.

The Irish Coast Guard (IRCG) has responsibility for our national system of marine emergency management in Ireland's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and inland waterways. It is responsible for response to, and coordination of, maritime accidents which require Search & Rescue and Counter Pollution & 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.

The marine emergency management functions that the 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 and 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
• 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, with Headquarters at Leeson Lane, Dublin 2, are divided into three divisions; Search and Rescue Operations (SAR Ops), Voluntary Services & Training and Pollution & Salvage Ops. An Engineering & Logistics section in Dublin 11 and an Administration section in Leeson Lane augments the operational functions.

History

The Roles of Rescue of the Irish Coast Guard

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.

The Dublin centre provides marine search and rescue response services and coordinates 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. 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 CUs) 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

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. 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/SCs 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.

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 coordinating 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. IRCGs 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

Administration

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