The SCRA gathers incident reports from clubs on a wide range of aspects. Having looked at 3 similar incidents this guidance and learning points is shared to all clubs. Together with the help of the clubs much of the learning outcomes specified by them are similar and should be shared to the wider skiff community as it may help.
In one instance a crew member sadly had a heart attack shortly after finishing rowing. The person involved made a full recovery, thanks to the sharp actions of the crew involved. The club have kindly sent us the following which they have adopted for future use:
“We share the recommendations made by the Club to the wider skiff community. Happily, the casualty has recovered well but the quick response by all concerned ensured this was the outcome.
The skiff had just returned to shore and on disembarking, the crew member collapsed on the shore. One member of the crew was trained in CPR and immediately began carrying this out, with help from the other crew members and the public. An ambulance was called immediately, and two club members acquired a local AED (Defib) and this was used within a few minutes. Other crew members kept the public at a respectful distance. The ambulance arrived after around 20 minutes to transfer the casualty to the local hospital before forwarding them to the nearest city hospital for further treatment. After a duration in hospital the casualty is recovering at home, and we can confirm they are making good progress.”
Recommendations and Learning Points raised by the club
- Crew need to be trained in CPR/AED use and in making a MAYDAY call
2.Valuable minutes were lost trying to get the code to access the AED. The SCRA suggest that all clubs know where their local AEDs are kept and how to access them.
- All rowers should write name and number of emergency contact prior to all rows. This information can be kept on a whiteboard inside the skiff shed and the information erased at the end of each row by the cox. The SCRA suggests that all club members know how to contact the next of kin of those they are rowing with – this maybe via a whiteboard, an online shared folder or via apps but it is essential that next of kin details are available in an emergency. Clubs should consider how best to approach this given GDPR rules.
The following was noted as good practice if this incident had happened whilst at sea during a rowing session:
- Call 999 and/or mayday call on CH16
- Using the casualties Lifejacket straps move them to a position whereby their head and chest are as flat as possible, we found the best position was getting the casualty parallel with the thwarts with their legs and feet up the hull but not necessarily over gunwales and start CPR. This was difficult but possible by just one person using the LJ straps.
- One rower on Port and the other on Starboard should row to the nearest shore OR nearest shore with an AED if equidistant, N.B. skiff would be unbalanced if casualty’s legs are over the side! Cox would need to counter this.
- Get casualty out skiff on reaching shore and restart/continue CPR until ambulance arrives.
It was also noted that prior to any rowing sessions, Coxes should ask all crew if they have any medical issues that they would like to make the cox aware of and to make sure they have the appropriate medication on their person i.e. epi-pen, inhaler etc.
For information regarding defibrillators or training please see link below or contact the SCRA secretary.
St Johns Ambulance – The how to guide are very useful.
The second incident involves another medical emergency, where a person became unwell and gradually deteriorated in condition. The crew of the boat opted to head for home (approx 30 mins away) but on route decided that there was not a margin for the condition to get any worse. The crew requested help using a VHF radio on channel 16 to the Coastguard. The Coastguard dispatched a lifeboat which came to assist. At the same time a local motorised vessel was nearby who came also to assist. The casualty was transferred first to this vessel and then later to the Lifeboat. After making it to shore and assessments made the casualty made a full recovery. The crews of both the skiff, the motor vessel and the lifeboat worked very well at transferring the casualty in open water between boats. The club involved have put in place some measures in which they feel are beneficial for all clubs to consider.
- Use of VHF regularly within the club to enhance confidence in using it.
- Develop and practice a method to stow oars and deploy when out on the water so that other vessels can come alongside easily.
- Always carry a tow rope, attached at bow and have a stern line available to use should they need to tie alongside another vessel.
- Regular incident drills and talk through scenarios.
- Boat to boat transfer practice with other vessels if opportunity presents itself.
- Awareness of how to get a GPS fix from a smart phone to communicate to coastguard via VHF.
The latest incident comes from a club who were assisting someone who was already in the water. The crew of the skiff assessed how to assist the person and contacted the coastguard for assistance who tasked a lifeboat. The crew stood by the casualty and aided the lifeboats search. Some important points to consider is that we are often using the water with multiple other users and so finding people in distress is always possible. Clubs carry various equipment such as throw lines, first aid kits and can often provide that first assistance. Sometimes we are not capable of providing direct assistance and therefore can aid other emergency services by alerting them and giving them information to help. Many clubs practice MOB situations and it is often beneficial to bring people onboard who find themselves in the water, there should always however be the consideration of risk vs benefit. The crew involved gave some recommendations.
- Mayday protocols should be visible and accessible beside the radio as a prompt in an emergency. It is easy to forget what the procedure is when under pressure.
- Boat hook as part of standard equipment as in some instances it could be useful.
- All who are coxing the boat to know how to use the radio and which channels to call.
Incidents often leave after effects and people should be encouraged to talk about them and share their experiences. I’m sure many clubs have open channels to discuss but there are also many anonymous mental health charities which can help.
In all of the incidents it is clear that communication to the coastguard/emergency services is critical. We advise all clubs to ensure that they have a clear understanding and confidence in using a VHF in such a scenario. Practicing scenarios – such as MOB, medical emergency and highlighting key safety equipment is vital.
The SCRA would like to thank all three clubs for their incident reports and the people involved in all of these incidents for their actions leading to successful outcomes.
The secretary of the SCRA has recently acquired 50 of the MCAs free VHF stickers which he will distribute when out and about. You can request these for free form the MCAs website. (link below)
https://mca-ws.apsmos.com/Home.html
The SCRA has practiced safety procedures with several skiff clubs and 3 different lifeboats in Buckie. The scenarios included lifting a person to the lifeboat from the skiff using a helicopter strop from the bilge of the skiff to simulate a casualty who was unconscious. Along with multiple person in the water drills and transferring of casualties. The two videos below show the two most common ways to recover a person from the water onto a St Ayles skiff. The SCRA can assist clubs with learning from events like these, if you have any specific questions on these drills please contact Secretary@scottishcoastalrowing.org who will put you in touch with the trainer who carried out the session.
