THE NUMBER of people assisted by the Irish Coast Guard rose by 20 per cent in 2010 to 3,570.
The service attributed the increase to added assistance provided during the recent cold spell, when it helped with a number of extra activities including transporting healthcare staff and patients to medical centres and airlifting animal feed to farmers.
The coast guard said it responded to 1,839 incidents in 2010, a figure which is consistent with the previous year. The service also provided assistance to cases involving 49 fatalities.
“A very positive development is the notable decrease in the number of incidents we responded to last year that involved leisure/recreational activities,” said Declan Geoghegan, manager of the Irish Coast Guard
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