Sticker scheme will save precious time for Search and Rescue

Monday 24 August 2020

Guernsey Coastguard has launched a potentially "life-saving" scheme which could save volunteer search crews precious time, while also reuniting local residents with lost marine sporting equipment.

The free scheme is encouraging anyone with water equipment like paddle boards, kayaks and surfboards to pick up a sticker and attach it to their equipment.

Each sticker will have a registration number, linked to that person's name and contact details.

"If people are using this equipment and it's left on the a slipway or it's left on the beach, it can get washed out to sea," explained Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for Guernsey Coastguard, Mike Harris. "If somebody finds it at sea, we then have to go out and look to see if we can find anybody with that equipment.

"With the sticker, if it gets washed up and found at sea we can enquire if the owner is actually using the equipment that day, or whether he's safe and sound. Hopefully, that will cut down the time that we have to spend looking for the owners of these pieces of kit and sending out the lifeboat or air search."

Pictured: Search and Rescue Mission Coordinator for Guernsey Coastguard, Mike Harris.

The scheme is voluntary and is similar to initiatives that are already in place in Jersey and the UK.

"We do spend quite a lot of time trying to repatriate equipment with owners and trying to figure out if the owners are safe and sound - that's time that could be spent on live incident where we know we've got people in trouble," Mr Harris continued.

"Obviously, it takes up resources; fuel for the air search, fuel for the lifeboat. They're all volunteers as well so they're giving up their time to go and look for these people that could be sat at home having a cup of tea while their kayak is drifting around the sea because it's been washed off the slipway."

The scheme is currently being run on a trial basis, with stickers only available from Gone Paddling on the Bridge or AB Marine in St Peter Port. However, once the trial period is over, they will be available from other outlets as well.

"We have noticed an increase in water-based activity, certainly over this period we've had just lately, and there's a lot more people using the water, and quite rightly so! It's beautiful round here," said Mr Harris. "It makes sense that we try and get them to register their equipment so we can trace it and either give it back to them or start looking for them if they are in trouble."

Pictured: The sticker scheme will save time for the lifeboat and air search teams.