HM Coastguard

Jobs in the coastguard include:

o Coastguard
o Search and Rescue Officer
o Enforcement of Maritime Law
o Safety of Vessels
o Maintenance of Seamarks
o Border control

And…….

Chief Coastguard Principle officer

Inspector District officer

 Assistant district officer Watch officer

Watch assistant Station officer

Deputy Station Officer Rescue officer

Former rank structure

• Temporary Extra man

• Permanent Extra man
• Boatman
• Commissioned Boatman
• Chief Boatman
• Chief Officer
• Chief Coastguard
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) is an executive agency responsible
throughout the UK for implementing the Government’s maritime safety policy. That
includes coordinating search and rescue at sea through Her Majesty’s Coastguard,
checking that ships meet UK and international safety rules and preventing coastal
pollution.

Typical emergencies to which the Coastguard is summoned include:

o Sailboarders too exhausted to reach the shore;

o Walkers and animals who slip from cliff paths;
o Boats losing rudder control;
o Crew stranded aboard a container ship battered by freak waves;
o Medical emergencies;
o Incidents involving oil rigs (such as fire);
o Suicide victims that have jumped from cliffs or bridges;
o Missing adults and children around the cliffs or beach area;
o Broken down Merchant Vessels in English waters;
o Evacuating injured persons at sea;
o Locating missing persons and vessels at sea;
o Fires on Board Merchant vessels;
o Groundings;
o Collisions at sea;

Search and Rescue

The job of the search and rescue is to search and find anyone in immediate danger
and in need of rescuing. It also involves the RNLI (Royal National Lifeboat Institution)
At times and in serious rescues they will both work together. A team of 4,500
volunteers all over the UK are there 24/7 what ever the weather to keep everyone on
the water safe. The RNLI is funded by voluntary donations, and 6 out of 10 launches
are thanks to legacies. There are man different types of lifeboats for example:

The Tamar class lifeboat is the RNLI's latest design and will
gradually replace the Tyne class.

The Severn class lifeboat was introduced to the all-weather

fleet in 1995. It is the largest boat in the fleet!
The Trent class lifeboat is designed to lie afloat, either at
deep-water moorings or at a berth.

The Tyne class lifeboat was the first fast slipway lifeboat.

The Mersey class lifeboat was introduced in 1988 and was the
RNLI's first fast carriage lifeboat.

The Atlantic 85 is a rigid inflatable lifeboat, introduced in 2005

as the latest development of the B class.

The D class has been the workhorse of the service for 40

years.

The E class lifeboat was introduced in 2002 and is the fastest

lifeboat in the RNLI fleet.
 Hovercraft was introduced to the fleet in 2002 and can operate
in mud, sand and very shallow water.

The Arancia is an inshore inflatable rescue boat used by the

RNLI's lifeguards.

Search and rescue ‘Sea King’ tanning with

the RNLI

This is a search and rescue helicopter called ‘India Juliet’

Coastguard 4+4s
Coastguard watch officer
Tim Bowman is a watch officer for HM Coastguard, based at a maritime rescue co-
ordination centre. He is part of a team responsible for organising all coastal search
and rescue operations within the area.
There are certain jobs and procedures that are common to most days but these
routine jobs can be disrupted if an emergency arises. For instance, I may be
broadcasting a routine weather forecast to a fishing boat when a call comes in from
the captain of a vessel on the other side of the world, requesting medical assistance
for an injured crewman.
I started as a coastguard watch assistant, which allows people without specific
maritime experience into the job. After passing my qualifying exams, I spent a few
years gaining experience and knowledge, before applying for, and gaining promotion
to, my present position as a watch officer.
I work a 12-hour shift for four days, which consists of two during the day and two
at night. I then get four days off before starting the cycle again.
When coordinating a search and rescue operation it depends on the incident. For
instance, I may receive a distress call on the radio from a sailor whose boat was
sinking. My first action will be to decide how many lifeboats to send out and whether
they would need helicopter support. Also, it might involve coordinating our efforts with
those from other emergency services such as the police and ambulance. Not all
incidents take place at sea – we often send out search and rescue teams to locate
people who have had accidents on the shoreline, such as falling down a cliff.
When coordinating a search and rescue operation I use long- and short-range
radios as well as ultra-modern satellite communications equipment. Rescue centers
are high tech places – computers and maritime specific software and programs
feature very heavily. Computerized data allows me to see and control all the
resources I might need such as lifeboats, helicopters or towing vessels. We also use
good old-fashioned paper maps, charts and pencils!