HM Coastguard Crosby

07/09/2026

🌙 Monday Night Training – LAMPS 🔦

Tonight we focused on Search Area Determination, starting with a short classroom walkthrough before heading out onto the Sandhills for a practical exercise.

The classroom session covered some of the key principles we use when planning a search:

🔹 Initial Planning Point (IPP) – establishing the point from which the initial search is planned, which can be the Point Last Seen (PLS) or Last Known Position (LKP).

🔹 Theoretical Search Area – considering how far a casualty could potentially have travelled based on factors such as time, distance and speed.

🔹 Probable Search Area – narrowing that down by considering:
• Behavioural profile
• Previous history
• Natural barriers
• Clues and information available
• Weather, tide and darkness
• Physical and mental limitations
• Deductive reasoning

🔹 Skewed Distribution – recognising that, statistically, casualties are often found closer to the IPP than further away.

🔹 The Bike Wheel Model / Reflex Tasking – allowing search effort to be applied quickly to the most likely areas while resources arrive and a fuller search plan develops.

The model looks at:

🚲 Hub – the area immediately around the IPP, which requires a thorough search.

🚲 Spokes – logical routes a casualty may have followed, such as paths, tracks, roads, watercourses, ridges and gullies.

🚲 Rim – establishing the maximum search limit and helping provide containment.

🚲 Reflectors – potential hotspots or places of interest based on the casualty, terrain, local conditions and personal habits or interests.

Then it was out onto the Sandhills to put some of that theory into practice and work through a practical search exercise.

And, because apparently true search training isn’t complete without a little realism, the heavens decided to open and give us a proper downpour! 🌧️😂

A great evening of training, getting the team thinking about where to search, why we’re searching there and how we can apply search effort quickly and effectively. 🔦💪

04/09/2026

🚨 Multi-Agency Specialist Capability Day 🚨

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend a fantastic multi-agency capability day at Merseyside Fire Training Academy in Aintree, bringing together partners from across the emergency services and military.

During the morning, agencies presented an overview of their specialist capabilities and the afternoon gave everyone the chance to see those capabilities demonstrated in a practical setting.

Our team attended with a range of our specialist equipment, including Crosby Mobile 1 & 2, the OSV, air shelter, ArgoCat and VHF mast, giving our partner agencies the opportunity to see what we can bring to an incident.

A big thank you to our COAC Mike Buratti, who also presented during the day, helping to showcase our capabilities and explain how we work alongside our partner agencies.

Days like this are a great opportunity to build relationships, share knowledge and, most importantly, understand what each organisation can provide when we all come together at an incident.

Thanks to everyone involved for organising a really useful and enjoyable day. 🤝

31/08/2026

🚨 TASKINGS 201–207 | LAMPS & THE SEARCH PROCESS 🚨

Another busy period for the team, taking us through to Tasking 207.

This time, rather than focusing on individual incidents due to sensitivity, we thought we’d give a little insight into one of the processes that sits behind many of our recent lost and missing person searches — LAMPS and the structured search process.

When a search is initiated, there is a lot more happening behind the scenes than simply putting people on the ground and looking.

At a high level, the process involves:

🔹 Establishing the initial search effort and likely areas of interest
🔹 Gathering and recording the available information
🔹 Using SARMAN (Search and Rescue management) to support the management and development of the search
🔹 Identifying and allocating appropriate search resources
🔹 Recording search areas, plans and decisions
🔹 Regular briefings and situation reports between Search Team Leaders, the Officer in Charge, the Coastguard Rescue Coordination Centre and partner agencies
🔹 Recording the effectiveness of searches and continually developing the plan
🔹 Reviewing progress as the search develops and ensuring the right resources and welfare arrangements are in place.

There is a huge amount of planning, data logging and recording, communication and decision-making behind what the public sees as a search operation.

We cant go into the specifics of recent taskings but hopefully this gives a small insight into the structured approach that underpins our work.

We also want to say a massive thank you to all our partner agencies who continue to work alongside us. 🤝

A particular shout-out to our colleagues from Southport and Wirral CRTs for the joint taskings during this period. Working together and sharing skills, resources and local knowledge is a huge part of effective search and rescue.

207 taskings and counting… 🚨🌊

26/08/2026

🚨Taskings 199 & 200 🚨

Two very sensitive taskings for the team, both resulting in positive outcomes as we hit 200 jobs so far in 2026!

👏Tasking 200 saw the team responding as part of a significant multi-agency WSAR (Water Search and Rescue) response. A huge congratulations and thank you to everyone involved in achieving a positive outcome. Thanks to our colleagues from NWAS, Merseyside Police, HART and Merseyside Fire & Rescue Service for their support, professionalism and teamwork throughout. 👏

While we can’t say anything more about the incidents themselves, we can share a few views from our glorious waterfront which was our backdrop during the taskings. 📸🌊

🛳️The Pier Head, the Liver Buildings and the impressive Viking Saturn cruise ship looking as impressive as ever.

25/08/2026

🚨Monday night training, tasking 198 and a visit from a furry friend🚨

Last night was a busy one for the team, combining practical mud rescue training, a real-life tasking and a moment to enjoy the nature on our coastline.

🌊Tasking 198 took us to the northern side of the River Alt, where a person was in a vulnerable position on the mud banks and needed locating and safely extracting as the tide continued to come in.

🙏The person did absolutely the right thing by calling the Coastguard. This could have become a very dangerous situation very quickly, and the team was able to locate them and bring them to safety.

Later that evening, we were out at the radar tower getting practical experience of the specialist equipment and preparations needed for a mud rescue.

🪏Mud rescue isn’t simply a case of walking out to someone and pulling them free. The ground can change dramatically, hidden areas of soft mud or quicksand can trap a person, and every rescue has to consider the terrain, equipment, casualty and, of course, the tide.

The training also demonstrated the three skill levels involved in mud rescue:

1️⃣ Mud Awareness – understanding the risks, recognising the operational zone, PPE and equipment, and safely assisting in a support role.

2️⃣ Mud Operations – setting up and operating the rescue equipment, stabilising and recovering a casualty, and carrying out the shoreside elements of the rescue.

3️⃣ Mud Technician – the specialist level, including operating and rigging equipment over soft ground and mud lines.

As the pictures show, there is plenty involved behind the scenes in preparing for a mud rescue. Training and practice mean that when the real call comes, the team is ready to respond.

📞If you find yourself trapped or in difficulty on the mud, don’t struggle to get free. Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

#999

16/08/2026

‼️Tasking 1️⃣9️⃣2️⃣‼️

Today our team were tasked to a male who was stuck in the mud near to Blundellsands sailing club. Also tasked were; Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (Southport Lifeboat) Wirral Coastguard Rescue Team Merseyside Police and West Ambulance Service.

Our team arrived at the sailing Club along with the fire service. With some joint agency work the casualty was located down the bank of the River Alt stuck in mud above his knees.

The terrain around the Sailing Club and River Alt is difficult to work in, even in ideal conditions nevermind with a flooding tide quickly approaching the casualty.

One of our mud techs and a firefighter entered the mud and proceeded to extract the casualty before the River Alt completely flooded with the tide.

The casualty was assessed by North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust and luckily didn’t require any further medical treatment.

A big thank you to the member of the public who pointed out the casualty to emergency services and a thank you to all our partner agencies and the JESIP work leading to a positive outcome.

🔵Advice🟡

Before heading out:
Tell someone where you’re going and when you’ll be back, take a fully charged phone
and check the tide times and conditions
When you arrive:

Adhere to warning signs
Avoid crossing bays and walking through mud where there can be
hidden channels of fast-flowing water

Water users:
If you get caught out by tides and stuck on mud flats, don’t attempt to leave your
watercraft or struggle to free yourself - this could make things worse - call 999 and ask for the Coastguard immediately
Or shout/wave your arms/signal for help if you don’t have a phone

If you get stuck at the coast:
Spread your weight as much as possible by sitting back
Fight your instinct to struggle and stay as calm as possible
Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard immediately
Or shout/wave your arms/signal for help if you don’t have a phone
Discourage well-meaning members of the public from helping you.
Without the proper equipment, they could get stuck too

13/08/2026

Eclipse Patrol on the Sefton Coast 🌊☀️

What a shift on the Sefton coast! 👏

With the coastline exceptionally busy for the solar eclipse, our teams were out on patrol and dealing with a wide range of incidents and safety concerns.

🚨 Some of the Tasking included:
• Assisting with the extraction of a casualty with a foot injury at Altcar
• Multiple missing-child incidents, all thankfully resolved positively
• Talking several families through the safest way across the mud banks — successfully getting everyone back to firm ground
• Keeping a close eye on the changing conditions and the huge numbers of people visiting the coast

Our Argo was deployed on the beach for more than three hours, with our drivers in drysuits working hard in the heat. We reckon they sweated the equivalent of a 10K run by the puddles when they took them off 🥵😂

There was also some fantastic operational governance behind the scenes, with our COAC and SCOO recognising the numbers building along the Sefton coast and appropriately elevating control to ensure the response was matched to the demand.

And then there was the eclipse itself… 🌒

But honestly, one of the highlights was the community.

Our Coastguards were absolutely swarmed for photos — we genuinely felt like celebrities! 😂📸

We spoke to so many people about our vehicles, equipment, what we do, and most importantly, how to stay safe on the coast. Those conversations are incredibly valuable and exactly why visible patrols matter.

🚐 We also gave our new EV minibus its maiden voyage, and it performed brilliantly — another fantastic addition to our operational capability.

A busy coast, a once-in-a-lifetime event, plenty of challenges and a fantastic community response. Our weary CROs may have eventually made it home late to eat whatever was left for us, tired but happy that everyone was safe.

Remember: the sea and mud don’t care how spectacular the view is. Know the risks, keep your distance from danger and if you get into trouble, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. 🌊

11/08/2026

🌊 MONDAY TRAINING NIGHT
WSAR THEORY, TECHNICAL SKILLS & A BIT OF COMPETITION! 🛟

Last night was another busy training session for the Crosby Coastguard team, starting in the classroom with some important theory before moving on to technical-based practicals.

We focused on:

🔹 WSAR Kit detail – knowing our equipment, its purpose and how to use it effectively
🔹 Bankside Safety System 1 & 2 – developing our skills and understanding of these key water rescue techniques
🔹 Continuous Loop – putting the theory into practical application
🔹 Hand signals & whistle signals – essential communication when noise, distance or conditions make verbal communication difficult
🔹 And, of course… the throw bag competition! 🎯

There was plenty of friendly competition and a few questionable throwing techniques on display! 😂

Thankfully, the Coastguard gods were smiling upon us and our PPE helmets survived another throw bag competition. 🪖🤣

Training like this keeps our knowledge, teamwork and technical skills sharp, ensuring we’re ready to respond when required.

👏 Congratulations to Neil ‘aka GREENIE’ on becoming our new Acting DSO (Deputy Station Officer)!

We’re looking forward to seeing you step into the role, Neil…

We’re also looking forward to the cakes! 🍰👀😂

Well done everyone — another productive night of training and teamwork.

📞 If you see someone in difficulty at the coast or in the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

09/08/2026

☀️🌑 SOLAR ECLIPSE – CROSBY BEACH | WEDNESDAY 12 AUGUST 🌊

Something pretty special is happening over Crosby Beach this Wednesday evening!

From around 6:13pm, the Moon will begin passing in front of the Sun, reaching maximum eclipse at approximately 7:10pm, when around 92% of the Sun will be obscured over Merseyside. The eclipse will finish at around 8:04pm.

With large numbers of people expected on the beach to watch the eclipse, our team will be carrying out a Local Knowledge Patrol (LKP) helping to keep people safe and providing advice around the coastline.

🌊 PLEASE REMEMBER – THE BEACH IS STILL THE BEACH!

While everyone is looking upwards, don’t forget what’s around you and under your feet.

• The tide will be falling towards low water during our patrol.
• Keep children close and don’t let them wander towards the waterline
• Stay clear of unstable sand, channels and areas of soft mud.
• Keep dogs under control
• Be aware of your surroundings, particularly if you’re distracted by the eclipse.
• If you see someone in trouble in or near the water, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

Let’s enjoy what should be an amazing evening on Crosby Beach – but stay safe, stay aware and look after each other. 🌊☀️

Please note, this page is not monitored 24 hours a day.

In an emergency, you should always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard, whilst for non-emergency calls, please call 01407 762 051

07/08/2026

🌊 WSAR Rescue Operations – The Techniques Behind Water Rescue 🌊

Completing our posts on Water Rescue.

When HM Coastguard teams respond to water rescue incidents, the rescue method used will depend on the environment, the hazards present and the condition of the casualty.

There is no “one size fits all” approach — every incident is dynamically assessed to choose the safest option for both the casualty and the rescue team.

📍 Bankside Safety Systems

🔹 Bankside Safety System 1
A controlled approach from the bank using equipment and techniques to assist a casualty without entering the water. Used where the casualty can be reached safely from the water’s edge.

🔹 Bankside Safety System 2
An enhanced bankside system involving additional controls and equipment to improve rescuer safety when the environment or casualty position creates extra risk.

🌊 Shoreside Techniques

🔹 Throwline Rescue
A throwline is deployed from a safe position on shore, allowing a casualty to grab hold or be guided back to safety without rescuers entering the water.

🔹 Tethered Buoy Rescue
A buoy attached to a line is used to provide flotation and support to a casualty while maintaining control from the shore.

🔹 Foot Entrapment Rescue
A specialist technique used when a casualty’s foot or leg is trapped by hazards such as rocks, debris or uneven ground. The priority is controlled release while managing the risk of moving water.

💧 In-Water Techniques

🔹 Immediate Rescue
A rapid rescue action used when there is an immediate threat to life and there is no safer alternative.

🔹 Line Astern (Access Only)
A controlled technique used to allow rescuers to access a casualty while maintaining a safety line and reducing risk.

🔹 Group Huddle
A technique where rescuers work together around a casualty to provide support, protection and stability in the water.

🔹 Wedge
A formation used by rescuers to provide stability and control when moving through water or assisting a casualty.

🔹 Tethered Rescue
A rescuer enters the water attached to a safety line, allowing the team to control and support the rescue from a safe position.

🔹 Continuous Loop
A controlled water rescue method using a continuous safety line system to support movement and maintain rescuer safety.

🌊 Wet Rescue Techniques

🔹 Lanyarding
A technique where a rescuer is secured using a lanyard system to allow controlled movement while reducing risk.

🔹 Runner Rescue
A rapid deployment technique where a rescuer is supported by a safety team and line system to reach a casualty quickly.

Every rescue has different challenges. The priority is always the same:

✅ Protect the rescuer
✅ Protect the rescue team
✅ Rescue the casualty safely

⚠️ If you see someone in difficulty in the water or at the coast, do not enter the water yourself. Call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.