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Volunteers from HM Coastguard are taking part in a new initiative aimed at encouraging more women to step into frontline rope rescue roles across the UK’s emergency services.
The Breaking Boundaries scheme, based in the south-west of England, brings together emergency organisations from around the country with local training providers to equip female responders with specialist rope rescue skills and greater operational confidence.
Among those involved are Coastguard Rescue Officers (CROs) from teams in Devon and Cornwall, who have been selected to undertake advanced training as qualified rope rescue technicians. The programme is designed not only to enhance their individual capabilities, but also to enable them to pass on their knowledge within their teams.
Specialist CROs trained under the scheme are able to carry out technical rescues such as abseiling down cliffs to reach people stranded on rocks or cut off by the tide, while being supported from above by colleagues operating winch systems.
One of the volunteers taking part is Michelle Spence, a CRO with Torquay Coastguard Rescue Team in Devon. She is training at the Plymouth centre alongside women from Croyde and St Agnes Coastguard Rescue Teams.
Spence said the programme had provided valuable insight beyond rope rescue techniques alone. “It’s been a fantastic opportunity for us all to gain additional knowledge and experience – not only in rope rescue, but also in understanding how our colleagues across other rescue services operate,” she said.
“The time, expertise and support shared by our instructors and by one another has been phenomenal. We’re excited about the next steps, which include bringing another cohort of women through the programme, as well as developing members of our existing team through the next stages.”
Breaking Boundaries is a joint initiative involving local training companies and emergency services, supporting women from HM Coastguard, Hazardous Area Response Teams (HART) from the South Western Ambulance Service, Mountain Rescue, Lowland Rescue, and Fire and Rescue Services.
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