Coastguard SOS

March 2013 – RAF crew battled winds and rain to rescue a seriously injured French fisherman from a stricken vessel, 50 miles to the west of Welsh port town Milford Haven in the Irish Sea. English and French coastguards, HMS Echo and RNLI lifeboat Angle also attended the rescue. Photo: RAF

So …what is the length of a piece of string?

Well, it seems it depends on many things like temperature/tension in the string/material/accuracy of equipment etc.

OK I’m sure you get my drift; and it’s a similar situation when you ask “what is the length of UK coastline”.

Even experts disagree but here is a selection of answers when doing an Internet Search:

Wikipedia quotes 19,491miles but also gives the CIA Factbook 7,723miles.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coastline_of_the_United_Kingdom

UK Coast Guide states around 7,760miles.

http://www.ukcoastguide.co.uk/

Panoramic Earth website quotes nearly 19,500miles.

http://www.panoramicearth.com/article/uk-ocean-cruises.html

The RNLI also state around 19,000miles

http://rnli.org/aboutus/aboutthernli/features/Pages/features-content/Bournemouth-Marathon-Route-Revealed.aspx

The most explicit answer comes from the British Cartographer’s Society which qualifies its figure of 19,491miles at mean high water mark based on 1:10,000 scale maps, however this is for Principle Islands only!

http://www.cartography.org.uk/default.asp?contentID=749

The general consensus is at least 19,491miles which is why it is utterly surprising that the Maritime Coastguard Agency quote “over 10,500 Nautical miles of Coastline” which equates to over 12,083miles.

It is extremely worrying that the agency responsible for our coastline has underestimated the scope of their remit.  So it was rather tongue in cheek that the Coastguard SOS team released a map showing the lost coastline as that responsible by the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres that are due to close under the current disastrous “modernisation” plan.

Joking aside, how can an agency convince all the general public & stakeholders in Maritime Safety that they have any credible concept of how big the job is when they have something like 160% error rate!  This error has been queried with the MCA but they remain unfazed about the lack of accuracy.

The Coastguard SOS campaign group has used the 19,491miles figure in many of its communications as it comes from impeccable sources of both the BCS and Ordinance Survey (the UK Map authority). Indeed we approached OS for a conclusive figure.

OS state that the figure is dependent on the many factors discussed before and pointed us to the BCS site and figures.

How shocking it is to find that a comprehensive answer to the question has already been established via an MP and that it concludes that the figure is around 24,144miles!

http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/ld201011/ldhansrd/text/100623w0007.htm

On 23^rd June 2010 the following answer was given to an MP’s question:

“ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Communities and Local Government (Baroness Hanham): Information provided by Ordnance Survey for Great Britain and by Land and Property Services, an agency of the Department of Finance and Personnel for Northern Ireland, indicates that the lengths of the coastlines at mean high water (MHW) and mean low water (MLW), (mean high water springs [ordinary spring tides] and mean low water springs in Scotland) are:

These coastal lengths include all offshore islands, and land areas which are above MLW.The precise length of coastlines will vary from time to time due to natural and gradual changes arising from coastal erosion and silt deposition.”

YES, I believe there is a mistake & that UK lengths are swapped round – (I base this on the fact that the same methodology should give consistent differences between the two figures). There is something of a debate going on about this information here http://www.edparsons.com/2010/06/call-yourself-a-geographer/

Without getting into any further debate, I think that these are figures that truly reflect the lengths of Coastline:

Taking the 24,144miles figure, this is a staggering 200%  greater than that quoted by the MCA.

Now you might ask Why this is significant, well not only is it indicative of the complex issue of assessing the scale of the coastline that needs covered by our volunteer Coastal Rescue Officers, RNLI and Independent rescue crews. It is also an excellent gauge of every coastal feature that invariably has a name or even several names for the same one.  At low water our coastline increases by nearly 3,000miles, adding yet more features & names to any database!

It’s a good job that OS are partners in the current project with the MCA to capture all the local names & descriptions of features around the whole UK coastline, because of the two organisations, OS has some measure of the task!

This project is called FINTAN http://www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/news/2012/06/collecting-names-from-coast-to-coast.html

It’s a very ambitious project to have EVERY name of EVERY feature on our coastline in one database. The information is being gathered from multiple sources, in multiple local languages (Welsh, Gaelic  etc) and by people that will have not have access to the system. Eventually this database will be integrated with several other Computerised Search & Rescue tools as mentioned in this blog: http://coastguardsos.com/mission-impossible-the-mcas-future-coastguard-system/

It makes you wonder on what basis the MCA was able to justify the cost of this new database. I just hope that they were not using the coastline figure from their website as a guide to acceptable cost per mile; otherwise the final bill will be in error by 200%.

If you consider the coastline length ranking on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_length_of_coastline

You can see that it is no wonder the UK developed the first Coastguard service over 191 years ago, for a relatively small country, we have a high ratio of coastline regardless of what base measurement is chosen.

It can be said that the UK punches above its weight when it comes to coastline and Maritime Safety.

This is one of the reasons the UK needs to continue to build on the expertise, knowledge and hard learnt lessons that HM Coastguard has experienced in its history.

The Maritime Coastguard Agency has amply demonstrated that it can get facts wrong with the particular subject of coastline.  The Coastguard SOS campaign group has striven to enter into dialogue with the MCA regarding the ongoing changes to HM Coastguard.

With the promise of a meeting between the Group and the MCA, we hope to raise a considerable number of concerns including the deepening staffing crisis and safety issues.

Our ‘piece of string’ has grown in a similar way to Coastguard staff being stretched – something is bound to snap and we are becoming increasingly worried if there will be a service left for us to defend.

Written by CoastalJoe

Members of the Coastguard SOS team made the (very long for some) journey up to Greenock for the flotilla/demonstration against the closure of Clyde MRCC. This was a significant gesture as Clyde is the second HM Coastguard station to close in just a few weeks’ time.

The demonstration was peacefully run by the local campaign group and culminated in the setting of red distress flares …. there had been warnings by Strathclyde Police not to do so!.. see quote:

“Whilst members of the public are welcome to gather on land or on boats or vessels to show their support for the event, the setting off of red distress flares for anything other than a genuine emergency is illegal under the Merchant Shipping Act. Anyone who does so might be subject to an investigation by officers from the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.”

An irresponsible act?

Well, that really depends upon your viewpoint…  a pure legal stance..  it is breaking the law but many would argue that fair warning was given and there was no malicious intent.

Flares are let off with a dispensation from HM Coastguard; this can be for training purposes or an exercise.

There have been high profile examples of Olympians letting off orange smoke flares without any repercussions.

Orange smoke flares are designated as a daytime distress signal and red light flares are designated as night/day distress signal.

There is another argument… “situations will occur from time to time of which all, or almost all, right thinking people—the “common people” would say that it would be right to break the letter of the law”

Here we have a situation where the ‘normal’ processes of complaint and dialogue have been dismissed by the Government.

The ‘common people’ are in distress about the loss (against their will) of rightful protection and service from HM Coastguard which is funded by the people.

The frustrations of the good people of the Clyde area were borne out tonight in a show of unity & purpose.

If any prosecutions are forthcoming against any of the participants, then the letter of the law must be upheld against all… including … the windsurfer, the canoeists, the 40-50 boats… the Sea Cadets that lined the shore and the Olympians that appeared on the TV.

There is also a warning from campaigners… should any tragedy be attributed to the loss of a Coastguard Station against the will of the people, then those who failed to listen to us, MUST be prosecuted to the fullest extent !

I am proud to have travelled up to Scotland & witnessed the voice of the common people.

Written by CoastalJoe

NB

As I watched tonight’s protest … I could not fail to notice how a considerable number of Parachute Flares failed to deploy properly or reach any height.  Perhaps this was a good demonstration of just how unreliable some of these emergency devices are.

I recommend that the Maritime & Coastguard Agency spends some time investigating the reliability of these devices.

After finding significant flaws in the plans to close 50% of HM Coastguard Maritime Regional Coordination Centres, campaign members of the Coastguard SOS campaign group made representations to the Shipping Minister, Mike Penning, and the Prime Minister, David Cameron.

The comprehensive and detailed report featured 10 Major Concerns.  Each concern in its own right would warrant serious consideration as to the safety of the current ongoing closure and restructuring programme. Each concern was backed up wherever possible with linked documents which (in the main) came from the Maritime Coastguard Agency.

The only response we have received to date (15^th July2012) was the referenced letter from Mr. Cameron (see letter).

Conclusion: Our meticulous effort in raising the issue of factual concerns, has so far been met with a mediocre, inaccurate reply. The reprieve given by the PM to closing HMCG centres until 2015 at least allows more time for the Government to look properly at the 10 fatal flaws in the current plan.

Written by Coastal Joe

This is a copy of a letter sent to our Prime Minister to try and remove the blinkers from his eyes regarding the closures of Coastguard Stations.  It is in reply to the insipid response received to the original letter.

Rt Hon David Cameron PM

10 Downing Street
LondonSW1A 2AA

Dear Mr Cameron,

Thank you for your letter of the 16 April 2012 regarding the closure of nine Coastguard Coordination Centres.

I would however challenge some of your conclusions including that: “The plans do not effect the provision of front-line services through our volunteer Coastguards or our Search and Rescue partners”.

There are 10 flaws in the government’s plan that will have a significant impact on the safety of all Volunteer SAR crews. Additionally, your assertions pay scant regard for the HM Coastguard Coordination staff that are the most vital element to any Rescue situation.

The document attached, has been written by a member of the public with no connection to MCA, HM Coastguard or Voluntary Rescue service.

The information has been assimilated from publicly available sources and conversations with knowledgeable sources.

It is therefore extremely significant that, such a person is able to find great variety of facts which (in the main come from the MCA) provide such considerable concern about the safety of the HM Coastguard plan for the future.

In short, the list of concerns raises serious doubt about the plan to such an extent it would be foolhardy and downright irresponsible for this plan to continue.

It is in the Government’s / Public’s best interest to halt HM Coastguard closures immediately and instigate an independent review.

Yours sincerely,

NB: Copy of documents have been sent to Minister Mike Penning MP

As we’ve already stated, large numbers of MPs have not even bothered to answer one simple question and that is: Are you FOR or AGAINST the closures of maritime rescue and co-ordination centres. i.e. Coastguard Stations.

They have been sent three e-mails now and have also been contacted by their own constituents. Via Twitter too, if they’re on the site. We’ve been trying to ascertain whether or not MPs have a duty to respond to their constituents and the frightening thing is, it appears not! Most of us would consider it common courtesy to reply to a question, but apparently this does not apply to MPs. This is what we found:

Writing to your MP greatly increases your likelihood of receiving a response. The vast majority of MPs will almost always respond to letters from constituents and will be happy to forward your request on to the relevant Minister (even if they disagree with you). In turn, the Minister will be obliged by Parliamentary convention to respond to letters from an MP.

It is important that you contact your own MP as there is an unwritten rule (known as a convention) in Parliament that MPs deal only with the problems of their own constituents and not with those of another MPs constituents.

Peter Aldous
Danny Alexander
David Amess
Norman Baker
Gordon Banks
Gregory Barker
Guto Bebb
Alan Beith
Sir Stuart Bell
Henry Bellingham
Julian Brazier
G S Brown
Jeremy Browne
Malcolm Bruce
Conor Burns
Alun Cairns
Rehman Chishti
Christopher Chope
Damian Collins
Oliver Colvile
Geoffrey Cox
Stephen Crabb
Thomas Docherty
Jackie DP
James Duddridge
Julie Elliott
Tobias Ellwood
Charlie Elphicke
George Eustice
Graham Evans
Nigel Evans
Michael Fallon
Don Foster
Nick Gibb
Rebecca Harris
Nick Harvey
John Hayes
Mark Hoban
Christopher Huhne
Alan Johnson
Diana Johnson
David Jones
Greg Knight
Norman Lamb
Charlotte Leslie
Julian Lewis
Ian Liddell-Grainger
Stephen Lloyd
Jack Lopresti
Tim Loughton
Gordon Marsden
Anne McIntosh
Esther McVey
Mark Menzies
Austin Mitchell
A M Morris
David Morris
David Mundell
Conor Murphy
Eric Ollerenshaw
Ian Paisley Jnr
Neil Parish
Priti Patel
John Penrose
Mark Reckless
John Redwood
Mark Simmonds
Robert H Smith
Gary Streeter
Mel Stride
Graham Stuart
I Swales
Desmond Swayne
Hugo Swire
Robert Syms
Peter Tapsell
John Thurso
Andrew Turner
Andrew Tyrie
Mike Weatherley
John Whittingdale
David Willetts
Tim Yeo

There will be a loss of life if the closures go ahead and these MPs will be culpable, along the Mike Penning and David Cameron. Thank you for reading this and thank you for you help. Oh, and please do let us know what happens!

Written by Lynne Gray

I did a little canoeing when I was younger, but only on flat water. It’s great fun and is an excellent way to appreciate the waters in & around the UK. The sport has grown steadily over the years; its history can probably be traced back to the earliest forms of transport when settlers in the UK travelled around the coast & up rivers. So, coastal exploring is not new but it does offer a unique opportunity to see some of the UK’s most inaccessible places and allows close encounters with our wildlife.

The report by the Maritime Coastguard Agency into 2010 incidents can be found here: http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/2010_canoe_and_kayak_incident_report_kp_rev_1-2.pdf It has some worrying statistics, which I have supplemented the ‘District Totals’ chart with some extremely pertinent information on which Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres are being closed in the forthcoming Government cuts:

It would seem that the busiest Rescue Centres are the ones being closed. The importance of LOCAL KNOWLEDGE cannot be stressed enough for this type of incident in particular because this type of craft go to some of the most inaccessible places often only known by their local name.

Being properly equipped with things like VHF radio, smoke flares & good navigation aids will increase your survival rate, if the worst happens & things go wrong. Accidents, illness and sudden change in weather can all affect the most experienced people engaged in this type of pastime. The next biggest challenge is actually locating the casualties and the time that this takes. Even with the best gear time is a crucial factor.

Currently all 999 calls for HM Coastguard go to one of the Rescue Centres in the above chart, When 50% of these are closed the plan will be that all calls go to one South Coast Call Centre (likely to be call centre staff NOT Coastguards) who will probably hand you over to the nearest remaining Rescue Centre if they can establish where your call is from. With mobile phones using any connection node available, your location can be significantly difficult to establish. It will rely on the caller giving accurate national references to the location. MCA have already documented the impossibility of integrating written Local Knowledge records into a national database due to volume & formats held at closing stations.

It would appear that the future holds many extra risks for this sport, already there has been a number of incidents this year e.g. March 2012 “Kayakers thrown against rocks” involved both Portland & Brixham

http://www.dft.gov.uk/mca/bckgrd/mcga07-home/newsandpublications/press-releases.htm?id=61BC863B686429ED&m=3&y=2012

DO YOU WANT TO DO MORE TO FIGHT CLOSURES?

Please visit the ‘How to help’ page & read the posts.

Written by Coastal Joe

To regular readers of this Blog, you know I have written some articles here.

To newcomers … welcome & please have a look at the other posts below!

DISAGREEMENT

I recently had a rather epic Tweeting session with another person who had a major disagreement with our campaign. Now I am always prepared to have dialogue with anyone, trying to give a reasonable account of why I and many others give up their spare time to the campaign & coastal safety in general.

I failed to make any headway and after 4 hours of tweets …. my opposition then failed to respond!

Now it was interesting that the person concerned has been doing this (but not for such a long session) with other campaign members but so far has steadfastly refused to look at any of the Blogs/News/Links that are available through this website.

It is extremely difficult to convince anyone of our concerns and arguments, if they refuse to look at any of the information that we try to provide.

IF YOU have any questions about the Campaign … please ask, Tweet us or email us:

@Coastguard_SOS          info@coastguardsos.com

@CoastalJoe1                  chris@coastguardsos.com

There is a considerable amount of information & evidence on this website to answer the majority of questions that you may have, however we will consider introducing a Questions & Answers page if it helps.  For the moment, if you have any questions about anything, please make them in the comments box so that we may respond to you.

We want dialogue from anyone willing to talk to us.

We like feedback & comments on any of the Blogs … good or bad & will respond to show we have read them.

THIS IS A PUBLIC CAMPAIGN      EVERYONE IS WELCOME

JOIN IN, IT COSTS NOTHING BUT COULD BE MORE VALUABLE THAN YOU REALISE!

Written by Coastal Joe

Good morning on this tantalising Thursday ~ just wanted to let you know, the next post will be published tomorrow morning.

A preview of the post has been sent to MPs, the dailies and the TV. We have had one response so far and very positive it was too!

It will be interesting to see who responds and who cares.

Come back tomorrow to see Tangled webs and white elephants.