THE DOOLIN COAST Guard Unit is to be reformed on an interim basis, the Department of Transport has confirmed.
The Co Clare unit had been stood down following the temporary resignations by six volunteers, including its Officer-in-Charge (OIC) last month.
Minister of State for Transport Hildegarde Naughton asked the Irish Coast Guard to begin the process of reconstituting the Doolin unit following receipt of a report from independent mediator which found that certain relationships between volunteers have “irretrievably broken down”.
The Doolin unit has been long recognised as one of the top Irish Coast Guard teams in the country with highly trained and dedicated members qualified in a multitude of competencies.
The team was rocked in 2016 when their colleague Caitriona Lucas died tragically while involved in a search for a missing man in Kilkee.
‘Mutual trust’
The report by Kieran Mulvey – which can be accessed here – found that “the mutual trust, respect and confidence required to effectively operate a Coast Guard Unit does not exist” among the unit’s volunteers.
The report concludes that the interpersonal difficulties are not capable of being resolved through the normal mediation process.
The decision to reconstitute the unit has been taken to ensure crucial rescue services remain available to the local community and visitors to popular tourist destinations in the county.
However, in accordance with the recommendations of Mulvey’s report, members of the Doolin Unit will be permanently stood down.
“The unit will be re-constituted in the short term by temporarily appointing volunteers who Coast Guard believe can work and operate together,” the department said in a statement.
Functioning unit
“This will address the situation presented by the absence of a functioning Doolin Coast Guard Unit.
“A broader appointment process will commence in due course with the view to permanently restoring the Coast Guard Unit in the Doolin area.”
Minister Naughton said that while she “understands that this is a difficult decision and outcome” for those involved, “inaction on the matter is not an option where there is a situation that a person may find themselves in trouble on or near the water into the future”.
The provision of a fully operational Coast Guard Unit to the Doolin area is the priority, she said.
A number of further recommendations in the Mulvey report are also to be implemented, including further engagement with volunteers and a review of procedures affecting the unit around training, operations, equipment and activities.
Report’s recommendations on volunteers
The Coast Guard has seen allegations of wider issues in its culture and interaction between management and volunteer units in recent months.
A rebel group consisting of existing and former volunteers formed the Irish Coast Guard Volunteers Representative Association (ICGVRA) in recent months, declaring that it wanted to provide better representation for members of the Coast Guard.
In Mulvey’s report published this evening, he said one of the “primary reasons” for the resignations in October was that that there was “no individual feedback” from one-to-one interview sessions between Doolin members, mediators and Department officials.
This “created enormous frustration” among the volunteers, the report found.
One of his core recommendations to improve relationships in future is for the “officially recognised” representative body, CUAG – the Coast Guard Representative Group – should have its role extended and enhanced.
Mulvey has recommended that discussions to a review of CUAG’s existing terms of reference and grievance procedures should also take place.
On this, Naughton said she supported the work of CUAG as a body which represents volunteers’ interests within the Coast Guard.
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