UK Coast Guard

[Impress to inflate]

Just heard of a story of a family invoicing the UK Coast Guard for the price of a new Lilo after it was abandoned after the Coast Guard saved their daughters life.

If this is true, then I hope to hell the judge orders the UK Coast Guard to pay up THEN invoice the family for the full price of saving the daughter life.

Is this story true ?

ITI

[Nige321]

It just might be 'Fake News' but there's RNLI officers quoted in this article...
News story... (https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/news/uk-world-news/parents-send-rnli-bill-7-3204332)
Heroic rescuers who saved a child who drifted out to sea on a lilo were stunned to be sent a bill by the parents - for the cost of a £7 inflatable lilo.
Mike Carter, president of the RNLI branch, said a rescue helicopter had to be used to save the youngster when she got into a precarious situation.

A crew member then jumped into the water to save the girl, but left her inflatable lilo in the water off Porthleven, in Cornwall.
The commanding officer said the rescue cost around £7,000, and so he was left stunned to be presented with a bill for £7 from the parents of the girl they had saved - for the cost of the lilo.Mike said: "A family visiting Porthleven purchased a lilo from a local shop and went to the beach."
There was an off-shore wind and the parents immediately experienced their child waving goodbye as the lilo went further and further out.
"The coastguard scrambled the SAR helicopter which was soon on scene."

The diver jumped from the the helicopter and saved the child.
He instantly put a knife through the lilo to save any further drifting and they were both winched to safety.After receiving the invoice, Mike said the rescuer replied saying they would happily pay - if the family paid for the cost of launching the helicopter.

He said: "Two weeks later the commanding officer (CO) of 771 received a request to pay an invoice for £7 the cost of the lilo."The CO wrote replying: 'I will be happy to pay your invoice on receipt of payment for the helicopter rescue £7,000.' No response was received."

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This would be a old story since the Coastguard helicopter is at Newquay flown by civilian Bristow crews and not at Culdrose which is where 771 NAS are based.

[Nige321]

I wonder if they paid...

[Impress to inflate]

Give the greedy b'stards the bill anyway............scumbags

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It's just lazy journalism - putting the picture of a modern CG S92 in front of an old story about RN SAR at Culdrose which may or may not be apocryphal but is at least 4 years old (the CG don't use SAR divers and even the RN stopped quite a few years ago).

The only good thing about it is as a reminder to grockles/emmetts about the dangers of inflatable toys and offshore winds.

Although the winchman might make an effort to recover a surfboard or windsurfer (as long as it doesn't compromise the safety of the aircraft or crew) inflatables are routinely sent to Davy Jones locker to prevent further callouts and searches when someone else reports them.

[Non-PC Plod]

There must be an environmental story they can get out of this too then!

"SAR crews pollute ocean by knifing children's toys" :}

[peterperfect]

Old story recycled.
Don't let it cloud all the wonderful letters, cards, family photos and appreciation from a vast number of recipients of our rescue services, including the occasional bottle of single malt left at the main gate with a simple Thank You note. pp.

[Hew Jampton]

Urban myth/total rubbish/full of factual errors

[212man]

Urban myth/total rubbish/full of factual errors
it’s bizarre that mainstream press just jumped on the bandwagon - The Independent!

Some context;

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.kentlive.news/news/uk-world-news/truth-behind-rnli-lilo-story-3206927.amp

[peterperfect]

Fake cruise.

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There must be an environmental story they can get out of this too then!

"SAR crews pollute ocean by knifing children's toys" https://www.pprune.org/images/smilies/badteeth.gif Followed by a call for floating recycling bins at sea :)

[Cornish Jack]

Peter P - your experience of grateful clients doesn't gel with mine. In some 14 years in various S&R versions, I can only recall one brief phone call from an unidentified 'client'! Indeed, even when the customer was a serving Senior Officer, our reception on task was bad tempered and not a hint of thanks subsequently! It was never a problem because the job was enjoyable and its own reward. I suspect that in most cases, during my time, the civilians we picked up were concerned at the possibility of being identified and charged for the service. We didn't, of course, although towards the end of my time, inter-hospital transfers were being costed and charged.

[Seaguard]

Old story recycled.
Don't let it cloud all the wonderful letters, cards, family photos and appreciation from a vast number of recipients of our rescue services, including the occasional bottle of single malt left at the main gate with a simple Thank You note. pp.
My experience was similar to yours, Peter P, though I never saw any bottles of single malt. During the rescue, most people were too focused on survival to say much to the aircrew. But I've seen many grateful reunions with family members that came back to thank us. And in Alaska, the basket often came up with some extra salmon or halibut for the crew!

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Cornish Jack - must be a Navy thing, the RAFSAR were welcomed with open arms everywhere and we had plenty of visitors to the Flts to say thankyou.:)

Fish from fishing vessels was a common gift and one shipping line frequently gave a bottle and 200 to the winchman, even on training trips.

[Cornish Jack]

Crab - strictly light blue throughout - Thorney, Valley, Manston, Tern Hill, Cyprus, Boscombe - same, same all through. Indeed at one of those, a local farmer was noted for assisting us on departure with some 12 bore encouragement!!.:eek: Still wouldn't have missed it!

[Al-bert]

Cornish Jack - must be a Navy thing

Exactly what I was thinking Crab - I have numerous letters of thanks in my log books and memories of grateful visitors and the occasional bag of scallops etc.....perhaps it was a Whirlwind thing (Thorney?)... in which case, I'm not surprised! :E

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Cornish Jack, sorry for casting aspersions on your background:ok:

[peterperfect]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-cornwall-49336192
Lovely story today on the BBC.

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Coppers doesn't seem to get any prettier and Niall doesn't seem to get any older:):ok:

[double_barrel]

inflatables are routinely sent to Davy Jones locker to prevent further callouts and searches when someone else reports them.

While sailing, I once picked up a large inflatable armchair in the middle of the Irish Sea. After some hesitation I decided I should report to the CG on the off chance that it might be significant. That was one of the strangest radio exchanges I have ever had.

[Georg1na]

Urban myth/total rubbish/full of factual errors

It is not actually. It happened to me in the 1960s at Culdrose SAR flying Whirlwind 7s.........................so there!:D

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And our quality press are still recycling the story.......:ok:

[Cornish Jack]

Many moons ago an episode of the Beeb's News Quiz programme contained an item read by the incomparable, delicious Charlotte Green. It was from a local paper in the Kent region and went something like this -."A bather was recently rescued from an inflatable cigar, being blown out to sea, by another bather in an inflatable set of false teeth! The local Coastguard said "It happens all the time!" Charlotte, bless her, for once, managed to avoid 'corpsing'