Support and oversight of Coast Guard will be enhanced 

Caitríona Lucas, who died in a sea rescue mission off Kilkee, Co Clare in September 2016.

The Department of Transport says it is enhancing support and oversight of Coast Guard units following of recommendations made at the inquest of volunteer Caitríona Lucas.

A verdict of death by misadventure was returned at the end of her inquest last November.

The 41-year-old mother of two died after the Kilkee Coast Guard Delta rigid inflatable boat (RIB) she was on capsized during a search for a missing man on September 12, 2016. She was the first Irish Coast Guard volunteer to lose her life during a mission.

At the conclusion of the inquest into her death, recommendations were issued including:

- Each Coast Guard station should ensure volunteers are aware of relevant exclusions for Coast Guard vessels and where possible display the same clearly at the base station;

- An immediate ongoing review of training of Coast Guard volunteers/staff should provide up-to-date training for capsize incidents;

- An ongoing review should take place of the suitability of all safety gear, including helmets, to ensure safety in operational conditions;

- There should be “urgent” implementation/education of all lessons learned and recommendations of all reviews into Coast Guard incidents;

- Measures should be taken to ensure that all Coast Guard vessels are fitted with voyage data recorders;

- There should be the establishment of an appropriate centralised safety management/portal for identified risk issues on a confidential basis;

- The Irish Coast Guard should consider ongoing training for the officer-in-charge (OIC) and deputy OIC “as appropriate”.

The inquest into Ms Lucas’s death heard that she was conscious in the water for 17 minutes after the Kilkee Delta RIB was hit by a wave and capsized in a shallow surf zone at Lookout Bay off Kilkee, and that a second RIB owned by the Kilkee unit could have reached the area to rescue all three on board within 10 minutes.

Brain drain

Summing up for the jury, Limerick coroner John McNamara said it appeared there was a “brain drain” in relation to the Kilkee unit and some “confusion” about the command structure of the unit.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesman for the Department of Transport said: “The recommendations of the inquest into the death of Caitríona Lucas have been accepted by the IRCG and across the Department of Transport. The detailed consideration and implementation of the recommendations is a key priority for the department in 2024. 

“Several actions have been delivered in the areas of policy, procedure review and update for boat operations.

These include risk assessment and exclusions zones, personal survival techniques and coordination. 

"Additionally, enhanced resourcing of support and oversight of Coast Guard units is being delivered. This is being managed through the continuous improvement processes of the organisation’s safety management system. 

“A comprehensive programme of implementation specifically addressing each recommendation is well underway.”