A major exercise exploring the plan of action for evacuating passengers from a broken down hovercraft in the Solent has been taking place on the Isle of Wight today (Wednesday).
HM Coastguard, the RNLI and the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service have all been involved in the large scale training exercise this afternoon, working closely with cross-Solent operator Hovertravel.
Following months of planning, the different agencies finally came together to demonstrate their joint emergency service interoperability. Island Echo readers will have seen lifeboats off the coast of the Isle of Wight, as well as emergency service activity and a helicopter landing in the village of Bembridge.
The scenario in play today was that the Flyer hovercraft had suffered a mechanical failure mid-Solent whilst transferring a poorly patient from Ryde to Southsea, for onward conveyance to Queen Alexandra Hospital. The patient – and others – had to be taken off the hovercraft by lifeboat before then being transferred onto Coastguard Rescue 175 helicopter.
As part of the exercise, the ‘casualties’ were landed ashore at Lane End, Bembridge with Coastguard Rescue 175 touching down on the green next to the lifeboat station. It’s here that Coastguard Rescue Officers and paramedics from the Isle of Wight Ambulance Service were waiting to receive those onboard.
Today’s exercise, thought to involve more than 40 people, went off without a hitch – albeit with delays – and has proven the action plans in place for such an eventuality.
It’s not the 1st time that Bembridge RNLI has trained with Hovertravel… It was 5 years ago, in May 2018, that towing a broken down hovercraft was practised off Bembridge.
Watched it on live webcam. Well done to all involved.
Why land at bembridge ?? & what delays ???