
Seahouses RNLI responds to late-night medical emergency at sea
At 10.01pm on Wednesday 27 August, pagers sounded for Seahouses RNLI volunteers after Humber Coastguard tasked the crew to launch to a medical emergency aboard a 23-metre sailing vessel anchored just south of Holy Island.
HM Coastguard updates advised that a young crew member on board had been taken ill and required urgent medical attention. Seahouses RNLI launched their Shannon-class all-weather lifeboat, making swift progress to the scene.
On arrival, Coxswain Tim Steinlet skilfully manoeuvred the lifeboat alongside the sailing vessel, allowing one of the RNLI’s trained casualty care crew members to transfer across and assess the patient’s condition. Due to the seriousness of the situation, the casualty was safely extracted from the vessel and brought aboard the lifeboat, where treatment continued during the passage back to Seahouses Harbour.
Paramedics from the Northeast Ambulance Service were waiting onshore and immediately took over the patient’s care. The casualty is expected to make a full recovery. Once the handover was complete, the lifeboat was refuelled, cleaned, and made ready for service.
RNLI volunteer crew member and Social Media Officer, Ollie Whelan, said: ‘Our crew brings together diverse skills, exceptional training, and real-life experience enabling us to stay calm under pressure, even in the toughest conditions. Tonight showed how seamlessly we worked as One Crew to deliver vital pre-hospital care when it was needed most.’
RNLI Media contacts For more information, please contact Jess Curtis, RNLI and Regional Engagements North and East, Lifeboat Press Officer at Wells: Tel 07483488243 Email: [email protected] contact the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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