Flint RNLI lifeboat volunteers joined RNLI colleagues from Rhyl, Llandudno, and Hoylake, together with HM Coastguard, and RAF Search & Rescue helicopter from 22 Squadron at RAF Valley, in an HM Coastguard exercise to test responses of the emergency services in incidents in and around the North West/North Wales off-shore wind farms.
Flint RNLI crew were tasked to assist in the search for a small boat which had launched the previous evening and had not been seen since, part of the overall exercise had to be curtailed as the helicopter was called away to the Llyn Peninsular to deal with another incident.
Flint RNLI were just about to rehouse their lifeboat at Rhyl when a call was received from North Wales Police at 2.50pm concerning an 11 year old boy missing from the Warren Caravan Park. The lifeboat volunteers responded instantly, proceeded to the area and immediately started a search. The coastguard called of the search at 3.20pm as the boy had been found ashore safe and well.
Flint lifeboat returned to Rhyl at 3.30pm, washed down, returned to Flint, and was refuelled ready for further service at 6.30pm.
Alan Forrester volunteer lifeboat operations manager for Flint commented that everybody was pleased with the outcome of the exercise, ‘I was pleased with the performance of our crew, and pleased that the missing boy was safe and well, it was a long day with pleasing outcomes’.
