Equipment

Please Select Cliff & Beach Rescue Search First Aid Pyrotechnics

This is a guide to the equipment which is carried and used by the Torbay and Berry Head Coastguard Teams to effect searches and rescues throughout our sector.

Each team is equipped with a four wheel drive vehicle. This is the work horse in the team, being used as a base during searches, fitted with a V.H.F. radio  base set, this will be used to relay communications from the operations room to the search teams and vice versa if the area they are working in is known to be poor for comunications i.e. the river dart where hills and valleys disrupt radio signals.

The vehicle is also equipped with a public address system used for making contact with persons for instance cut off by the tide or for passing information to members of the public on busy beaches regarding missing children (or parents).

As well as carrying most of the rescue equipment the vehicle can also be used as an anchor for the winch during cliff rescues if we are unable to drive stakes into the cliff top. There are a few places in the Torbay sector where the tops of cliffs are roads or footpaths so stakes can not be used.

We also carry dry suits for entering the water, usually for taking water samples if tasked to a pollution report, we carry machete’s for cutting back bushes to gain access to cliff tops, a spare winch for vehicle recovery, a clean up kit for washing down equipment or pontoons and walkways.  

Please select from the drop down menu below to view more detailed information on the equipment we use.