Coastguard helo Portland

[Guest]

I am writing on behalf of the campaign to save the SAR helo at Portland. My purpose is to inform those of you who are unaware, of its planned demise by the MCA (Maritime Coastguard Agency). and to beg for support to keep this extremely busy helicopter.
Please log on to our web site www20.brinkster.com/whiskeybravo
This site outlines the issues and you can download letters of protest, keep abeast of the latest developments etc.
The decision to move the a/c has (despite denials) already been made by the MCA, and only public opinion is likely to save the day now. We are in great need of active support, quickly, as we understand the final decision may be imminent.
Thankyou
Are the yachting magazines carrying this story?

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

Although I would agree that stationing a Rescue helicopter at Portland is sensible, it is a relic of the old Naval Airbase.

It occurs to me that yachtsmen in general oppose any suggestion that they should contribute to the MCA, or any other organisation responsible for safety but are the first to yell if the provision re-organised or changed in any way.

I know the argument, which I agree with, that a tax is not the answer since it would not be ring fenced. Once it was in Gordon Brown's hands he would no doubt pour it into one of his bottomless social security pits which are all badly managed and not cost effective. I also can see that any other method of trying to raise a levy, could lead to a reduction in government support, and there would always be those who seek to evade their dues. However, as 2,000,000 of us do not pay Road Fund licences or Car insurance that is only to be expected.

My view would be that we should consider some sort of volutary scheme to fund the services we require, perhaps a voluntary levy on insurance or a Service charge on Marina fees or something similar, so that we have a positive say in what happens. A £50 a year charge on each boat would raise about £4 million a year for this purpose. If we do not do something on a voluntary basis then I fear before too long there will be a regulatory charge, which will as always, involve a considerable bureacratic charge in its collection.

Perhaps others have views.

Chris Stannard

 

[bigmart]

Re: Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

I get sick & tired of yachties writing into forums & magazines offering to roll over & play dead everytime the MCA or some other Government sponsored body make noises about reducing safety cover.

The point is that we, as citizens of this great land of ours, already pay for these services & it is not acceptable for any further charges to be levied on us.

Apart from the many other aguments that can be raised about alternative taxes (call them what you will) who is going to pay for the rescue costs for Walkers, Divers, Windsurfers, PWC users & all the other people who use the rescue services.

Perhaps you feel as a Boatowner that it is OK for you to subsidise these people.

Martin Beckwith

 

[ToMo]

Re: Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

Taking an admittedly selfish view, I frankly couldn't care less how much or how little someone else contributes to a parafin budgie!...I only want to be bl@@dy sure that if I or one of my crew need them, they are there.
TôMö

 

[Chris_Stannard]

Re: Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

SAorry you feel like that I am not out of sympathy with your views. We do not infact pay, the service is currently paid for I believe by levies on merchant ships.

My thought was that we can either find some way of paying that is non governmental and which we can control, or we can wait for Gordon Brown to find the time to tax us. I know which will be the cheapest option, and I know where the money will go if it is our Gordon.

Chris Stannard

 

[Guest]

I am delighted to see some interest in this post,albeit somewhat dismayed that people aren't a little more in tune with what is required NOW. This must not be allowed to happen. We have seen enough cuts in all walks of life, most, in the general scheme of things being pretty bl---y insignificant. But this is LIFE AND DEATH STUFF we are now discussing. This helicopter is and always has been one of the busiest in the country. In 99 and again in 2000 it was the busiest in England. When one bears in mind that it is the only chopper in the UK that only operates 12 hours a day and not 24, that is a significant fact and we should all be calling for an increase in the service to 24 hrs not meekly allowing the MCA to wipe the thing off the chart.
What we should be seeing here is some pledges of support for the good people at the Save Whiskey Bravo campaign who can be bothered to get off their backsides and do something! All sea and coast users may one day need this service. It is not just the divers, it includes all boat users, climbers, walkers, school parties etc etc. Time costs lives.
I have personally seen this aircraft pick a young kid off a 150' cliff who would have died if this helo had been based at Lee-on-Solent, because he simply wouldn't have been able to hang on for another 30 minutes.
If you check out the website, gentlemen, you will note it is support for their 18th July demo these people need not postulating on the best way of funding things in the future.
Lets save this Search & Rescue facility. We may all need it.
Rant over.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Letter has gone to my local MP

but given her inability to do anything without asking Gordon Brown's permission first, I'm not expecting any action from the hon mem for Brentford and Isleworth.

 

[JMM]

Re: Letter has gone to my local MP

Use the address below to fax your MP regarding this . . . it may help.

http://www.faxyourmp.com/



Jon M.

 

[ParaHandy]

The MCA really don't like Portland. Did they not create similar concern in 1999 over shutting a CG station?

The MCA have not renewed the Portland helicopter contract with Bristows which expires May 2003 but other contracts expiring at that time, Lee on Solent etc, have been.

If the MCA prove (and they have not yet done that) that they can operate Portland from Lee-On-Solent and still be within the required 60 minutes journey time to all at-risk areas, then, does it not follow that, given timeous forecasting, they should be able to safely move the helicopter to Lee if the occasion demands? As you say; once in 200 years. Even Noah could cope with those odds.

 

[bigmart]

Re: Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

First let me say that I agree with the other posts who say that we must be most vocal in our support for the campaign to save this service.

Now to the nitty gritty of who pays for the service.

We all currently pay. Every item imported into this country by sea, and lets face it we don't manufacture anything of any note here anymore, has a cost for light dues and all other import costs amortised into it.

If you charge boat owners for the costs would we then have the right to demand preferential service to the young child, mentioned in another post here, because he, or his family, havn't stumped up their contribution.

The first motive of any rescue service must be to save life.

The costs of rescue services must be borne by the whole of society.

Minority groups should not be singled out for persecution.

Thank god the RNLI have the common sense to see this. You dont see them advocating the statutory imposition of charges to those who either use the water or their services.

I could just as easily rant on about Road Fund Licenses thet dont fund roads etc. but my argument is the same.

The provision of rescue cover, wherever it may be, is the job of society as a whole! If this were not the case the next argument would be that, as contribution levels to rescue services fall, because the price of being a yotty is so great that only the rich few can aford it, then the quality of that rescue cover must reduce. Does anyone want to see that!

Martin Beckwith

 

[tadpole]

There is more information on this issue on the Dorset Echo website at: www.thisisdorset.net/dorset/weymouth/news/WEYMOUTH_NEWS_NEWS1.html
Please support the cause

 

[cleo]

Re: Whisky Bravo - Are we prepared to pay?

As one who planned the flight operations of large helicopters for a number of years, I know that the UK SAR Consultative Committee has to take account of a wide range of influencing factors, including political 'pull' and issues of the cost of fire/safety cover at any proposed base. When the various Services 'dedicated' SAR resources are plotted around the UK, with their areas of 'response in 1 hour', it is easy and clear to see where the Coastguard need to provide resources to fill the gaps.

There's such a gap - a big one - in the Sandettie/Goodwins/Dover Strait area, where a sizeable chunk of the airspace for which we are responsible is uncovered by UK resources, and is more swiftly covered from France and Belgium.

The big SAR choppers cruise at about 120kts/2nm minute, so a series of ellipsoids based on 1 hour's flying is easy to construct. Try a shape based on 100kts groundspeed to windward, and 150/160kts downwind. No polars!

Think back a few years to that fire on an ex-Ramsgate cross-channel passenger ferry, where all pax had to be evacuated? Where was the first chopper on-scene based? Yup! Not here.

Political pull and local jobs apart, the best pattern for operational coverage of the South Coast involves RN Culdrose ( committed ), Portland ( made 24 hour ), Shoreham ( existing airfield - no planning or fire cover constraints ) and Wattisham ( committed ).

If Portland's base must be regenerated for 'chi-chi' housing, then there's another working airfield just a few minutes' flying time inland. It doesn't need to be right on the water....

And the ops planning is/should actually be done, not with a circle, but with an ellipsoid based on the prevailing wind strength/percentages 'rose'. It is recalculated daily and with every significant wind chnage by the duty aircrew, anyway.

It rather seems that the Chief Coastguard measures the PR value of the Lee-on-Solent machine - plenty of trips for jaded journos, plenty of photoshots in the regional n/papers and local TV statons - rather more than 'just overlappping coverage'. Column inches are far more valuable to an upwardly-mobile civil servant than response times.

Best use of scarce available resources? Bolleaux!

bilbo

 

[Twister_Ken]

MCA speaks

Forwarded to me by my MP, in response to my letter to her, and her letter to the MCA.

From Maurice Storey
Chief Executive, MCA

… Let me assure you that we are committed to a continuing helicopter search and rescue capability along the South Coast. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency is discussing the future location of the helicopter based at Portland in light of the South West Regional Development Agency's plans to redevelop the area, and the Environment Agency's assessment of the consequential flooding risk. This is a complex matter and discussions with all concerned are continuing. No final decisions have been made and further meetings are planned…

Do I detect an odour of male bovine excretia?

 

[Twister_Ken]

Decision not yet taken - see http://www.mcagency.org.uk/news/releases/200-02.htm.

Still time to make your p-o-v known