This morning, members of the Skerries Coast Guard team were at the Market Square, Balbriggan to assist with the launch of the Community Safety Weekend. Also, there were representatives of various other organisations including local Gardai, Customs, Order of Malta, and the RSA.

We were joined by 250 local schoolchildren who were all eager to learn about water safety and the vital role the Coast Guard plays in rescuing those in difficulty on the coast. There were lots of free Coast Guard goodies for the children and of course plenty of leaflets and advice for the adults.

Following the offical ribbon cutting ceremony, the Garda Band and a local school choir entertained the crowds.

Photos from the entire safety weekend are available in our online photo gallery.

Further photos of the opening ceremony are available on the local websites Balbriggan.info and Balbriggan.net

As part of the Community Safety Weekend, members of Skerries Coast Guard attended a safety themed quiz night at O’Dwyers GAA club, Balbriggan. The various organisations taking part in the Community Safety Weekend each submitted a round of questions for the quiz, with Skerries Coast Guard challenging the teams on their marine safety knowledge.

The Skerries Coast Guard Officer in Charge was on hand to read out the Coast Guard questions and a special prize was awarded to the team with the highest score in the Coast Guard round. Of course, the Skerries Coast Guard team were naturally excluded from competing for that round! Congratulations to the highest scoring team, who achieved a very impressive 9 out of 10. Other groups involved on the night included Gardai, Fire Brigade, Order of Malta, Balbriggan Summerfest, Balbriggan Town Council and Fingal County Council.

The quiz prizes were sponsored by Tesco Balbriggan and all monies raised on the night were donated to the RNLI. Further photos are available on Balbriggan.info and Balbriggan.net

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This weekend the town of Balbriggan will play host to a major community safety weekend with a host of various activities planned for everyone. Full details, including a programme of events, are available from the Balbriggan info website at : http://www.balbriggan.info/Balbriggan_Community_Safety_Week_22_to-25_Sep11.shtml and also check out boards.ie for more detailed info: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055856230&page=9

Some of the highlights of the weekend include:

Thursday: a fun quiz in O’Dwyers GAA club from 8pm. The night will feature questions from many of the organisations taking place over the course of the weekend.

Friday: The weekly farmers market at the Square, Balbriggan will host stalls from the various emergency services and safety organisations with lots of info, advice and of course free goodies for all. Skerries Coast Guard team members will be on hand to answer any water safety questions or concerns you have. 

Saturday: Balbriggan Garda station will be open for tours from 2 – 6pm, giving everyone the chance to take a look behind the scenes at the busy station. This is a family orientated event and there will be children’s activities and entertainment.

Sunday: From 1pm on Sunday, the Church carpark at Balbriggan will be transformed into a major safety roadshow. Skerries Coast Guard will be joined by their fellow volunteers from Howth Coast Guard to showcase the various Coast Guard search and rescue resources. This will give visitors the chance to take a hands on look at one of our high speed Patrol Boats, off road rescue vehicle, cliff rescue teams, shore rescue teams and of course a Coast Guard Sikorsky helicopter will perfom a aerobatical display.

The Coast Guard team will also have a host of water safety info and free goodies, so come early!

Marine Flare demonstrations and lifejacket clinics

At the Sunday roadshow, we will also be giving the public the chance to learn more about marine distress flares. This will include advice on the various types of flares available, which ones are right for your activity and hands on practice at firing them.

The Coast Guard crew will also be available to answer any questions you have about lifejackets, the regulations and laws on wearing them at sea, the various types and how to maintain them correctly.

Other highlights of the Sunday roadshow include: The Road Safety Authority’s driving simulator and the Audi A4 rollover simulator – experience in safety what a car rollover actually feels like and why seatbelts are so important. The Fire Brigade will perform a car crash rescue re-enactment at 3pm, showing how they can rescue crash victims from car wreckage. The Civil Defence will also be there with all their various crews and vehicles including offroad vehicles, Fire Brigade Applicnace and command unit.

The weekend is organised by the community policing forum (www.cpforum.ie) and is intended to improve the local cummunities’ safety awareness through the various events and initiatives taking place. 

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