018/10 - 8th March 20.52h IRT + BRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a request for assistance from Northumbria Police who were responding to a report that a man had gone over the railings next to the Gibraltor Rock Restaurant and into King Edward's Bay. Brigade members arrived on scene within 2 minutes of the call to find that the casualty, a 30 year-old from North Shields, had fallen approximately 30 foot down the grassy bank sustaining a broken right ankle and possible head injuries. Paramedics from the North East Ambulance Service and a Brigade member who is also a Paramedic made their way to the casualty and started to attend to his injuries. Meanwhile, the Brigade's Backup Response Team was called out and Brigade members prepared their Rope Rescue Equipment, as did officers from the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service. A Brigade Captain was lowered down the Cliff, taking a Basket Stretcher with him, which the casualty was then carefully transferred into. Assisted by two Firemen from the Specialist Line Rescue Team, the Brigade Captain controlled the Stretcher as it was lowered down the cliff to the nearest set of steps. From there the casualty was carried by Brigade members and Firemen to an awaiting Ambulance which then took him to North Tyneside General Hospital for further assessment and treatment.
This incident involved all four emergency services working closely together and highlighted the excellent working relationship that has been established between the four agencies.
Rescue Helicopter 131 from RAF Boulmer was also tasked to attend this incident but was stood down before arriving as the casualty had been rescued.

017/10 - 7th March 18.08h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade along with Cullercoats RNLI Inshore Lifeboat after receiving a 999 call reporting four men cut off by the incoming tide just North of Cullercoats Bay. Five Brigade members arrived on scene within 90 seconds of the page and found four students from Newcastle University clambering over the rocks and making it back onto land in front of the Sewage Works just North of Cullercoats Bay. As the first informant had left the area, a thorough search of Marconi Point and Browns Bay was carried out by the Brigade and Cullercoats Lifeboat before the first informant returned to the scene and confirmed that the four students were the persons he had seen cut off by the tide. This information was passed on to HM Coastguard who then allowed the Brigade and the Lifeboat to return to station.

016/10 - 7th March 07.30h IRT

HM Coastguard contacted a Brigade Captain with a request to man the Freeman Hospital Helicopter Landing Site where RAF Rescue Helicopter 131 was inbound with an incubator containing an ill baby from the Salford area of Greater Manchester. Three Brigade members manned the site and assisted in the transfer of the incubator to an awaiting ambulance which then took the baby into the Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

015/10 - 3rd March 14.08h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a report of a woman, her child and her dog being cut off by the incoming tide at Sharpness Point, Tynemouth. As Brigade members made their way to the scene, it was confirmed that all three had made it safely back to shore and the Brigade was stood down.

014/10 - 3rd March 02.23h IRT + BRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade following a request for assistance from Northumbria Police who were carrying out a search for a person deemed at high-risk in the Fish Quay area of North Shields. The Brigade's Backup Response Team was called out and a Brigade Captain was deployed to North Shields Police Station where he co-ordinated the search with the Duty Inspector and Superintendant. The Inspector explained that their control room had received a 999 call from an 18 year-old male stating that he was being pursued by a number of males and was concerned for his safety, the line then went dead. Despite numerous attempts to re-establish communication, nothing further was heard.
Along with Police Officers, and with assistance from Police Helicopter India 55, the Brigade carried out a search from Spanish Battery, Tynemouth, to Royal Quays Marina. As time went on, information pointed to the emergency call being made from the Tanners Bank area of the Fish Quay. Just as a methodical search of this area was about to be carried out, it was confirmed at 04.00h that the man had been located safe and well at a relatives house. He is now assisting the Police with their investigations into the incident.
Before returning to station, Brigade members took part in a detailed debrief on this incident at North Shields Police Station.

013/10 - 1st March 02.33h IRT + BRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade with a request to provide a search team between Blyth Beach and Seaton Sluice. A major search and rescue operation involving Blyth and Newbiggin Coastguard Rescue Teams; Cullercoats, Blyth and Newbiggin RNLI Inshore Lifeboats; Blyth Volunteer Lifeboat and Rescue Helicopter 131 from RAF Boulmer was taking place in the Blyth area after an angler was reported missing shortly after midnight. Due to the nature of the incident, the Brigade's Backup Response Team was called out. However, as Brigade members made their way to the search area, Rescue Helicopter 131 located the missing casualty and transferred them to Wansbeck General Hospital.

Despite the best efforts of all involved, it was confirmed later that morning that the Angler had died.

012/10 - 24th February 15.52h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a report of a surfer possibly in difficulty at the South end of King Edward's Bay in front of Tynemouth Priory. Brigade members arrived on scene within two minutes of being paged and spoke with the first informant who gave a detailed description of what he had seen. Along with the Port of Tyne Pilot Cutter 'Bewick', a thorough search was carried out from the North Tyne Pier to Tynemouth Longsands Beach. Brigade members also spoke to a number of surfers and dog walkers all of whom reported that they had seen no one in distress. After an hour's searching, and with nothing found and no one reported missing, HM Coastguard stood the Brigade down and the call was put down as a false alarm with good intent.

011/10 - 24th February 08.10h IRT

HM Coastguard contacted a Brigade Captain with a request to man the Richardson Road Helicopter Landing Site as RAF Rescue Helicopter 131 was unsure as to which hospital it was going to take an injured man to. The casualty, an elderly man who had suffered a possible stroke, was unable to be taken to hospital by ambulance as the ambulance was unable to make it to his home in Prudhoe due to the snowy conditions. Once the man had been transported to the Helicopter, 131 decided that the best place to take the casualty to was the Newcastle General Hospital and so landed at the Richardson Road Landing Site. Here it was met by three Brigade members who assisted in carrying the man from the helicopter to an awaiting ambulance.

010/10 - 22nd February 18.14h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade along with Tynemouth RNLI Inshore Lifeboat after receiving a report from the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service that a woman was standing on the wrong side of the railings on the Tyne Bridge. The Brigade arrived on scene to find that the lady was stood on the Newcastle side of the Bridge but was in fact stood above land and not over the River. The Brigade liaised closely with the Lifeboat which stayed near the Millennium Bridge and well out of view as Northumbria Police Officers spoke with the woman. Shortly after 19.00h the woman climbed back over the railings and was taken into Police custody. HM Coastguard was informed and the Brigade and Lifeboat returned to their respective stations.

009/10 - 13th February 16.52h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a report of a dead dolphin on Tynemouth Longsands Beach. Five Brigade members arrived on scene and found a harbour porpoise which had died in the last few days and had been washed ashore by the tide. A form for the Department of Zoology at the Natural History Museum was filled in documenting the condition of the porpoise which will then be analysed in an attempt to work out what caused the death of the porpoise.
Once the necessary paperwork had been completed the Brigade was then stood down by HM Coastguard.

008/10 - 13th February 05.45h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade with a request to man the Richardson Road Helicopter Landing Site where RAF Rescue Helicopter 131 was due to land at 06.15h. The Helicopter, carrying a woman who had fallen 50 foot down cliffs at Marsden sustaining head and ankle injuries, landed at 06.20h and the casualty was transferred via ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

007/10 - 3rd February 18.38h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade with a request to man the Richardson Road Helicopter Landing Site where RAF Rescue Helicopter 131 was due to land at 19.20h. The Helicopter, carrying a soldier injured on the Otterburn Ranges, landed at 19.35h and the injured male was transferred via ambulance to Newcastle General Hospital for further assessment and treatment.

006/10 - 13th January 05.27h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a request for assistance from the Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service who were responding to reports of a gentleman stood on the wrong side of the railings on the South side of the Redheugh Bridge, Newcastle. Three Brigade members arrived on scene to discover that the incident had been concluded a short time earlier with the gentleman being taken into custody by Northumbria Police.

005/10 - 6th January 15.00h IRT

HM Coastguard contacted the Brigade following a request for assistance from the North East Ambulance Service who were experiencing difficulties in attending a number of emergency calls due to the adverse weather conditions in the Newcastle and Gateshead area. Three Brigade members took the Brigade Land Rover in land and were on call to the Ambulance Service until 00.15h on 7th January 2010. During this time they assisted at the following incidents:
i) A 90 year-old Gentleman in the Harlow Green area of Gateshead who needed transportation to Hospital but an Ambulance was unable to reach his property as he lived at the top of a snowy bank. The Brigade Land Rover was used to transport the man 200 yards from his house to the awaiting Ambulance.
ii) A 31 year-old female from the Bensham area of Gateshead who was in the late stages of labour and was having difficulties in reaching an Ambulance. Due to the expected imminent arrival of the baby, the lady was transferred to Hospital in the Brigade Land Rover while under the supervision of her midwife.
iii) Assist an Ambulance Crew who were treating an elderly gentleman who had suffered a fit at his home near Chopwell, South-West of Gateshead, and required transportation to Hospital. During this incident the Ambulance became stuck in heavy snow. Initially the Brigade Land Rover was unable to tow the Ambulance to safety due to the extreme conditions and so the Land Rover left the scene and located a Gritter roughly one mile away. The Gritter managed to clear the majority of the snow before it too became temporarily stuck in the snow. The Ambulance, Gritter and Brigade teams all worked together to free both vehicles and in the end the Ambulance was towed to safety by the Brigade Land Rover before it continued on to Hospital.
iv) Assist an Ambulance Crew in carrying an elderly gentleman suffering from chest pains from his property in Low Fell to their Ambulance so that he could be immediately transferred to Hospital.

During all of these incidents the Brigade Land Rover proved very useful as it managed to overcome extremely severe conditions and deep snow.

004/10 - 3rd January 15.18h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a 999 call reporting two adults a child cut off by the tide at St. Mary's Island with concern that they may be attempting to cross the causeway.
Brigade members quickly arrived at the scene and were told by the first informant that the group had tried to cross the causeway but had eventually thought better of their idea and appeared to have taken shelter at the cottage on the Island. Initially, both Brigade members at the scene and coastguard officers at the Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Bridlington were unable to make contact with the cottage and so Cullercoats RNLI Inshore Lifeboat was asked to launch and put crew members onto the Island to check on the wellbeing of the group as there was some concern that they may be suffering from hypothermia after being in the sea. Shortly before the Lifeboat arrived on scene, coastguard officers were able to make telephone contact with the owner of the cottage who confirmed that the family of 3 were in her house and were all safe and warm. The Lifeboat then arrived on scene and the decision was made to take the family onto the Lifeboat and return them to the Lifeboat station at Cullercoats as they would have been waiting up to 4 hours for the tide to drop before they could have walked back to the mainland safely. Once back at the Lifeboat station the family, who live in Stockton-on-Tees, were then given a lift back to their car via the Brigade Land Rover and were issued with suitable safety advice. Blyth Coastguard Rescue Team was also in attendance at this incident.

003/10 - 2nd January 16.01h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade after receiving a 999 call reporting a person in difficulty in the sea at King Edward's Bay. Brigade members quickly arrived on scene and spoke with the first informant who identified the 'person' who they had been observing who had now been washed ashore at the North-East corner of Tynemouth Priory. After a detailed inspection using binoculars it was confirmed that the 'person' was in fact two orange marker buoys which were being violently tossed around by the sea. The first informant was thanked for their vigilance and the call was put down as a false alarm with good intent. Cullercoats RNLI Inshore Lifeboat was put on standby for this callout but was not required to launch.

002/10 - 2nd January 01.35h IRT

As Brigade members locked the doors on the garage where the Land Rover is kept, they were contacted by HM Coastguard and requested to return to the Richardson Road Helicopter Landing Site as Rescue 131 was heading back out on another incident. On this occasion the Helicopter flew to a village just a half-mile from the previous callout where an elderly gentleman had suffered from a suspected heart attack. The casualty and a paramedic from the North West Ambulance Service were then transferred to the Landing Site where an ambulance then took the casualty to the Freeman Hospital for further medical attention.

001/10 - 1st January 23.52h IRT

HM Coastguard paged the Brigade with a request to man the Richardson Road Helicopter Landing Site where RAF Rescue Helicopter 131 from RAF Boulmer was due to land at 00.30h. The Helicopter had been requested to attend a village near Alston where the ambulance service was having difficulty in assisting a middle-aged woman who was suffering from chest pains. The casualty was safely flown to the landing site where she was able to walk to an awaiting ambulance for further assessment and treatment at Newcastle General Hospital.