CI Air Search call-outs double in a year
RESCUE charity Channel Islands Air Search was called out 32 times during 2024 – double the number of emergency call-outs it received the year before.
The voluntary service provides a rapid response airborne search and rescue service in Channel Island waters, operating 365 days a year, in all weathers.
The latest annual report showed it was called for assistance at an average of one call-out every 11.4 days.
However, searches during the months of September and October accounted for just over 40% of the total calls.
Notable searches included joining rescue efforts at the beginning of October to find a female passenger who had fallen overboard from the cruise ship MSC Virtuosa. The passenger was quickly located by a French Navy helicopter and winched aboard, but had died.
In December CIAS again joined with the French navy and lifeboats to hunt for a windsurfer missing off the Cherbourg peninsula.
Despite searching for three hours using the infra-red camera in rough conditions, the windsurfer was not located.
However, the following morning, the windsurfer was found by the coastguard some 25km south of his last known position, and still on his board.
The report found that marine and land-based searches were split 50/50, although three calls included elements of both.
While advances in technology have seen a reduction in calls for missing vessels, vulnerable persons now account for a considerable number of calls.
Advances in technology also extend to these searches, with the use of drones now becoming more prevalent, with both Guernsey and Jersey having dedicated drone teams.
The average duration of a search was just over two hours, and in one case, weather conditions required the crew to stay overnight in Jersey, as Guernsey Airport was fogged in.
Of the 32 calls, the crew were stood down before take-off on eight occasions, as the casualty had been located prior to take-off.
CIAS currently has a crew complement of 20, which includes pilots, search directors and observers.
The volunteers collectively gave more than 2,050 hours of voluntary service over the year.
Annual running costs for the charity are now in the region of £300,000 per annum, and the report said that fundraising remains a challenge as there was a trend for large corporate donations to be steered towards well-being and sustainability projects, as well as those suffering from the cost-of-living crisis.
However, the Lions Clubs of Guernsey and Jersey continued to provide valuable financial support, and in 2024 five new survival suits were donated, costing in the region of £1,600 each.
