Do your bit to highlight ringbuoy vandalism – If you spot it jot it!
By Hannah O' Sullivan, Senior Beach Lifeguard, Claycastle, Youghal.
As
lifeguards our job is to prevent incidents from happening at the beach, both on
land and at sea. Our working hours are every day from 10.30 -19.00. During these
hours we are constantly alert and on the lookout. We have many pieces of rescue
equipment at our disposal to use in the event of an emergency: the rescue
board, rescue ski, can buoys and rescue tubes.
When
we are off duty the ringbuoys are available to the public to use in an emergency situation. Ringbuoys are flotation
devices that can aid a water rescue. When someone gets into difficulty in water
the ringbuoy is thrown to them. This allows them to
grab on and float, while being pulled in. It only takes one person to use a
ringbuoy. They are easy to use and have saved many lives around the country.
There
are thousands of ringbuoys situated around the country on our coasts, rivers
and lakes. Most ringbuoys are contained in a yellow box. As part of our job,
lifeguards check the ringbuoys located at our beach every day. We ensure every
yellow box holds a ringbouy that is in perfect condition and that the rope
attached is intact and fit for use.
In Claycastle there are 8 ringbuoys situated at the beach. Unfortunately, this year we had an incident in July where
ringbuoys were vandalised and thrown in campfires. This is against the law and
may result in serious consequences. When a vandal takes a ringbuoy they could
take someone’s last chance to survive. To prevent this we ensure the missing ringbuoys
are replaced as soon as possible. We appeal to the public not to engage in this type of activity.
The
help of the public is paramount in helping us maintain our ringbuoys. Please inform
the lifeguards at the nearest lifeguard station or visit www.ringbuoys.ie to report missing, stolen, vandalised
or located ringbuoys. Each ringbuoy has a
number which is located on the back of the box/pole this is the tracking number
to quote when reporting a missing or vandalised ringbuoy. Next time your out and about jot it down if
you see vandalism to this vital rescue equipment.
As the poster says - A
stolen ringbuoy is a stolen life - Anyone of us could need it.
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