The Day Rescue 116 Came To Greystones

It’s a tragedy that reminded every one of us, sharply, in an instant, just how incredibly brave the men and women of our rescues services are.

And they don’t come much braver than the crews of the Sikorsky Search & Rescue helicopters that work as part of the Irish Coast Guards.

First introduced to this country in January 2012, there are just four rescue helicopters around the country, situated at Dublin, Waterford, Shannon and Sligo. It was the R116, based in the capital, that headed off the coast of Mayo to help another coast guard mission in the early hours of Tuesday, March 14th, when, suddenly, around 1am, as it returned to refuel, the helicopter went off radar and “disappeared”.

So far, the only crew member found, Captain Dara Fitzpatrick, died from her injuries, whilst the search is still on for Chief Pilot Mark Duffy and winchmen Paul Ormsby and Ciarán Smith.

This sad turn of events hit the members of our local fire brigade and civil defence particularly hard, given that the R116 paid a visit to Greystones in 2015, as part of a familiarisation exercise.

A familiar site in the skies around here, the R116 would have been familiar to the Greystones crew already, having been involved in numerous rescues – both on land and at sea – and exercises around Greystones. That day back in 2015 was a little different though.

Organised by John Ferns and the local Irish Coast Guard Unit, after landing in Darcy’s Field, the crew took the local emergency services members through the benefits of such a machine as the R116 in rescue situations.

Said Ciaran Hayden, one of our local firemen who welcomed the R116 crew to Greystones, “The tragedy yesterday at Blacksod Bay was terrible for all involved. It clearly highlights the dangers these dedicated professionals encounter as they go about their duty to the public.

“The fire crew in Greystones offer our sincerest sympathies to all our colleagues in The Irish Coast Guard and their families.”

You can find out more about the Irish Coast Guards here, and the R116’s involvement in the dramatic Cliff Walk rescue of 9-year-old Scott last August right here.