Helo - Goodbye!
A Redcar lifeboat training exercise with an RAF helicopter was interrupted by a real life rescue recently. Redcar crews had just begun their annual training session with a Sea King helicopter from RAF Leconsfield - and one of the lifeboat crew had just been winched into the aircraft - when an emergency call came in that a speed boat with 5 people on board had caught fire in the mouth of the River Tyne. All the people on board had jumped into the sea to avoid the flames and needed rescuing.

Because of the urgency of the call the exercise was immediately abandoned - with Redcar lifeboat helmsman Mike Picknett still aboard the helicopter - and the helicopter headed north to Tyneside.

Helmsman Picknett said "One second I was looking down at our lifeboat as it carried out its training manoeuvres, the next we were flying at 180 knots towards the Tyne.

"The helicopter crew told me that a boat was on fire and the crew had jumped into the sea to get away from the flames. The winchman pointed to some first aid equipment and told me 'If you have to, use it!

"Fortunately my RNLI training has given me all the skills I need to carry out first aid but happily before we arrived all the people had been rescued and sent to hospital for treatment for hypothermia."

The helicopter made the quick journey back to Redcar to complete the training run but because of the extra fuel that had been consumed during the emergency call the exercise had to be cut short.

...first published 12 September 2007...