St John inshore boat service to cease

Thursday 17 May 2018

St John Guernsey has announced it is going to cease its Inshore Rescue Boat service at the end of the summer, as part of moves to bring its care provisions "inline with the changing health demands of the island."

But the RNLI lifeboat service has recently confirmed it will begin a two year trial of a B Class Inshore Lifeboat based in St Peter Port later this year, which will compensate for the service's loss.

The decision by St John follows a recent review of services and is part of the future vision for the organisation, which looks at core activities such as the Emergency Ambulance Service, Medical Event Cover, the Health Care Shop, Patient Transport, First Aid Training and Youth work. It also allows for development of community services in the future.

The Guernsey Harbour Master and the Guernsey Coastguard have been consulted as part of the St John review and conversations about the need for future provision of IRBs have been ongoing since early 2017. The RNLI has also carried out an independent review during this time.

"Guernsey Coastguard continues to recognise and value the Inshore Rescue capability provided by St John and its volunteers. As part of continuous review and development, we are always assessing the service and capability we have available to ensure maritime safety within our waters," Head of Port Operations, Jerome Davis, said.

"With a relatively low number of incidents and following a risk assessment I have no concerns about St John ceasing the IRB service. We have a legal responsibility to coordinate search-and-rescue operations in Guernsey’s territorial waters and will therefore continue to work with existing SAR partners, both volunteer and full time to give the most appropriate provision of search and rescue coverage for the island."

Pictured L-R: Jerome Davis, Head of Port Operations, Jim Cathcart, Emergency Medical Technician, Andrew Henton, Knight Commander of St John Guernsey, and Ali Marquis, Chief Officer of St John Guernsey. 

Mr Andrew Henton, Knight Commander for the Commandery of St John added that he wanted to thank all the volunteers and staff who had been part of the team: “As a charity we need to adapt to the growing demands on our services and focus our resources and charitable assets on emergency healthcare and first aid activities. The number of call outs for the IRB team is relatively low and the boats are rarely used. In recent years, the St John IRB Team has moved away from being provided by employed ambulance personnel to a team of specialised volunteers.

"We anticipate St John clinicians will continue working with the RNLI and Guernsey Coastguard in the future as part of the collaborative efforts between the ambulance service and maritime rescue services.”

The St John Inshore Rescue Boats will cease at the end of August.

Pictured top: The inshore rescue boat in action