VOLUNTEER coastguards from across North Yorkshire have been awarded for rescuing a man stuck out at sea.

The four volunteer coastguards from Redcar, Whitby and Staithes rescued the man, who was cut off by the tide in the middle of the night at Saltburn earlier this year.

The actions of Andrew Clark, Whitby, Jamie Moffit, Redcar, and John Treacher and Jordan Vasey, both Staithes, saved the man’s life on the night of Friday, September 9.

All four received a Chief Coastguard’s Commendation Award on Thursday, December 1.  

On the night of the rescue, the casualty called 999 at about midnight after he found himself cut off by the incoming tide with a very real risk of being drowned by the rough and challenging sea.

The four coastguards were part of a bigger emergency response to the incident, including fellow volunteers from Redcar, Staithes and Whitby coastguard teams, Redcar lifeboat, coastguard helicopter 912 and the North East Ambulance Service.

They battled crashing waves to get closer to the casualty.

As they neared him, the man, who had found a ledge up on the cliff to wait for help, was swept off his feet and went under water.

The team attached a line to Redcar coastguard Jamie who swam about 30 metres to the casualty, managing to reach him just in time.

The other three pulled them back in and worked together to quickly get the casualty to a place of safety for further treatment.

Greg Albrighton, coastal operations area commander, who presented the award on behalf of chief coastguard Peter Mizen, said: “This was an extremely challenging and dangerous rescue because of its location, the sea conditions and how dark it was. It needed quick thinking and dynamic action.

“The courage and skill of the four men involved was exemplary.

“In 34 years doing this job, this is only the third time that I have had the honour of giving out this award to teams in our area, that stetches from Whitby up to the Scottish borders. It is a tribute to the teams and the training that they do to prepare for incidents like this.”

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency rely on volunteers to keep people safe on the coast.

The role of a coastguard rescue officer includes helping to rescue people trapped on the coast, searching for missing people, in addition to reporting, and dealing, with pollution and other hazards.

It also includes assisting emergency services and local authorities during emergencies, gathering information for the coastguard operations centre, and visiting schools, clubs, and other public places to advise people on how to stay safe at sea and along the coast.

Find out more at https://www.gov.uk/volunteer-as-a-coastguard

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