High honours for brave Buckie Coastguards
THREE Buckie Coastguards have been awarded the highest individual honour the service has to offer.
Coastguard Rescue Officers John Murray, Kris Herd and Rick Hemsley were all presented with the Chief Coastguard's Commendation for Meritorious Service at a special service at Buckie Coastguard station last Thursday evening. They had been nominated for the award for their quick thinking and selfless efforts to save the life of an old woman who fell into Buckie Harbour last August near the end of the north pier.
For Mr Murray, an offshore worker and Mr Herd, who is employed in a distillery, the incident was all the more remarkable as they were both barely out of basic training and to date have one and a half years of service each. Mr Hemsley, a former policeman who has now retired from the Coastguards after fours years of service, was working on the harbour's pilot boat at the time and threw himself into the water, the trio then working together to hold the woman above the water in a heavy swell.
Mr Murray had already raised the alarm and deployed a lifebuoy before rushing off to fetch his survival gear, Mr Herd donned snatch rescue kit and entered the water.
As Mr Hemsley held grimly onto a quayside ladder while supporting the woman, the Buckie RNLI lifeboat arrived and she and the Coastguards were taken on board where they proceeded to perform CPR. Although their efforts were ultimately to prove in vain, their certificate of commendation notes that their actions gave her the "best possible chance of survival".
Coastguard Area Commander Ross Greenhill praised the three Buckie team members for their actions.
"This is a very serious award indeed, the highest individual honour awarded, the only higher one being to a team.
"There aren't many awarded in a year as it happens three of the six this year are in Scotland.
"This is a matter of great pride for us all. John and Kris were straight out of training and to be in that situation so early in your service and act as they did makes their actions even more impressive.
"It is a testament to them all, their training and their commitment to keeping up that training."
Mr Murray said: "I was in the area at the time heard a shout that someone and just reacted.
"It was only my first or second shout after finishing training."
Mr Herd commented: "The swell near the end of the north pier presented quite a challenge for us keeping the casualty above water.
"It was a big shock when I heard that I'd been given this award."
The rest of the team who attended the incident also attended letters of appreciation from the Chief Coastguard.
Mr Hemsley added: "I was working on the pilot boat at the time and just jumped in as I was.
"It was very hard work trying to keep the lady afloat in the swell."
