Man Overboard
Challenge at Greencastle
24.02.25
TWENTY-four participants
from the seafood sector undertook the Bord Iascaigh
Mhara (BIM) / RNLI Man Overboard challenge at the
National Fisheries College in Greencastle on 14 February
2025. Each participant jumped into the challenging water
conditions of the sea survival pool with no Personal
Floatation Device (PFD) to experience the harsh reality
of trying to survive with no lifejacket. They then
replicated this with a correctly fitted PFD, to
experience first-hand the significant difference a PFD
could make to their chance of survival in a real
situation.
The course is delivered by Frankie Horne from the RNLI,
who has seen over the years how this experience has
effectively shifted people’s perspective on the
importance of wearing their PFD. “Nothing can change a
mindset like a real-life experience and once they have
been in that water with no support from a PFD, people
realise very quickly their chances of survival are
greatly reduced”. |
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Pictured at the Man
Overboard training in Greencastle are...
Front row from left: Tony Browne, Orla Blake Dillion,
Peter Kearney (Jennifer Constants), Damien Harkin (Niamh
Cronan), Peter Quinn ( Marie Rosetti), Mal Coney (Sunset
Pride), Andrew Carney (Red Sky), Laura Fitzpatrick
(Inishowen Boating) and Muireann Kavanagh (St
Anastasia).
Middle row from left: Paddy McGinty (An Conilla), John
Harkin (Niamh Cronan), Patrick Quinn, Ciaran Nugent (Sea
Boat), Brian McConnell (Northern Celt), Daniel Burns
(Northern Celt) and Kevin George (Northern Celt).
Back row from left: Ian Mannix BIM, Francis Blake
Dillion (Achill Lifeboat), Will Quinn (Maria Rosetti),
Matthew Kearney (Kearney Oysters), Martin Quinn (Carndonagh),
Oran Kearney (Kearney Oysters), Ivan McElhinney (Emma
Marie), Conor McCourty ( Foyle Fishermen’s Co-Op), Hugh
McClenaghan (Northern Celt) Frank Horne RNLI and Finn
Mullen RNLI. Photo Clive Wasson. |
The drills took place in
BIM’s new purpose-built sea survival pool, which
simulates realistic sea conditions such as cold (15
degrees), dark water, wind and rain.
Garvan Meehan, Principal of the National Fisheries
College in Greencastle welcomed the days attendees,
emphasising that drills like Man Overboard and the Sea
Survival course run by BIM are vital to ensure fishermen
and anyone working at sea remain as safe as possible.
“Experiencing for yourself how much easier it is to
survive in the water with a PFD, as opposed to without,
is vital learning. We know that 82% of fishermen
personally know someone who has been lost at sea. We
also know that attending training of this nature
substantially increases the chance that people will wear
their PFD.”
Conor McCourt, Operations Manager with Foyle Fishermen’s
Co-op took part in the training in Greencastle and said,
“I found the training highly informative and very well
presented by Frankie and his colleagues at the RNLI. As
a former Fisherman, and as someone who now collaborates
with Fishermen daily, I understand how difficult it is
to get this type of message across to people, who are
experts at their job and have been forming habits over
many years. However, I know that this training was
impactful and will make a difference to those who
attended.
During the training, there was reference to incidents
involving people, who many in the room would have known,
and I thought that was particularly effective. It was
great to get to use the fantastic new pool facility at
the BIM college for the challenge. I would recommend
this course to any seafarer and would encourage as many
fishermen as possible to try and attend if they get a
chance in future”. |
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