JANUARY 2008

Malin Head Station coordinates major rescue

Spanish fishermen were rescued from a vessel on fire off the Donegal coast on Saturday. The officers at the Malin Coastguard station, which is under threat of closure in a government plan to move jobs to a new base on the East coast, played a hugely important role in coordinating the rescue.

Around 60 miles north west of Arranmore Island and eight miles south west of well known fishing ground the Stanton Bank a fire broke out on the Scottish registered trawler. Officer Pat Lynch said the rescue mission was a major incident. "We received the first call around 1pm and it was after 7pm when the fire was eventually brought under control. Thankfully the Navy were not too far away and were able to respond and they did have a fire fighting crew on board. Mr. Lynch said that initially nine non-essential crew members were airlifted off the vessel by an Irish Coast Guard helicopter while the other seven crew members stayed on board. Five of the remaining seven crew members were later taken on board the Arranmore lifeboat while the fire was being fought but returned to the boat later that evening before it was towed back into killybegs. One crew member who had sustained slight injuries was taken to Letterkenny General Hospital for treatment.

Pat Lynch said it was fantastic that the operation had ended without any serious injuries or fatalities, but said the outcome may well have been different had the Naval vessel LE Eithne not been in the vicinity. He also suggested that local knowledge of the officers at the Malin Head station helped ensure a swift response. "Local knowledge is very important in a situation like this. We have a good knowledge of the area and we have a relationship established with all of the people along the coastline here, that has helped ensure swift and efficient responses to incidents like this". Describing Saturday's dramatic events as "just another day's work" for the staff at the station, he added that the members there respond to around 400 such incidents every year and were just happy that Saturday's mission had ended happily.

Members of the local community are expected to assemble in Malin Head Community Hall this Sunday, 26th January, to launch a petition calling on the government to retain and upgrade the Malin Head Coastguard Station. The meeting will begin at 4pm and everyone interested in ensuring the survival of the station is urged to come along on the day.

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