Volunteer lifeboat crew scrambled to two emergencies in one morning

Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS) was called to assist a diabetic 44-year-old man at No Man’s Land Fort hotel in the Solent at 4.34am.

Volunteer crews, one of whom is also a trained paramedic, provided emergency treatment to the man, who was ‘seriously ill’ and could not be woken up.

Coxswain Peter Byford said: ‘Our paramedic crew member decided we needed to transfer the casualty to hospital so, using our Saviour Stretcher, we extricated the man to the lifeboat.

‘We then transported him to the Camber Dock, in Portsmouth, where he was transferred into the care of the ambulance service for further treatment.’

While handing the casualty over to the ambulance service, Coastguard tasked GAFIRS to a second incident in Portsmouth Harbour, after six-metre fishing vessel ran aground near Pewit Island at just after 7am.

Mr Byford said: ‘The owner decided he was happy to wait for the next high tide and we offered to return and provide assistance then.’

GAFIRS returned to the vessel six hours later to check on the owner, and then returned again at 7pm to help free the boat – with two crew members pushing the vessel off the mud bank.