Work
As of December 2008, the NCI's 1,700 plus uniformed trained volunteer Watchkeepers maintain a visual watch along part of the UK coastline with 40 established NCI watch stations. These stations provide a daily visual watch in all weathers, monitoring marine radio channels, sea conditions and weather, using radar and providing a listening watch in poor visibility. All emergencies are reported to the appropriate authorities for action, the majority of NCI work being working mainly with HM Coastguard and other statutory authorities. Most NCI stations are manned on a daily basis providing a regular daily watch from 08.00 hrs to dusk. In 2007 a total of 312,350 man-hours watch was performed by NCI Watchkeepers, recording over 232,961 commercial, military and leisure vessel movements, and reporting a total of 498 incidents to HM Coastguard, Fire, Police and Ambulance services, of which 41 were NCI-initiated lifeboat rescues. All this work was carried out at no cost to the public purse.
All volunteers are provided with training in visual observation techniques, marine chart-work, Ordnance Survey mapping, critical reporting, Marine radio procedures, and radar, ensuring all volunteers reach the standards expected by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency.
The NCI works with HM Coastguard, the MCA, the RNLI and the other emergency services. In 2007, some of the 498 incidents reported by NCI to the MCA ended with the call-out of the RNLI lifeboats, RAF Air Sea Rescue, MoD Ordnance units, Fire, Ambulance and other rescue agencies. These incidents included vessels sinking, vessels on fire, vessels in danger and distress, swimmers, surf boarders and kite boarders in difficulties, inflatable toys with children on board being blown out to sea, persons fallen over cliffs, persons washed off jetty, land fires, dangerous munitions washed up, personal injuries, and so on.
In addition, many hundreds of minor incidents were dealt with including informing the Coastguard and Police of lost, found and missing children, distressed marine wildlife, ordnance on beaches, chemical drums, large carcasses and dangerous debris washed up.
2009 saw the 15th anniversary of the foundation of the National Coastwatch Institution. A national office has now been opened in Exeter
Read more about this topic: National Coastwatch Institution
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