The case arose again on Sunday August 14: in Équeurdreville, passers-by alerted the Cross after finding a bag of business on the beach, without an owner nearby a priori. False alarm, the man had actually gone swimming, no longer finding his belongings when he got out of the water, he returned home where he was found the next morning. The problem is that in the meantime, significant rescue resources have been engaged: a helicopter and a SNSM star.
It’s not the first time that rescue means are deployed “for nothing“and the authorities emphasize that these situations are not without consequence.
A very significant financial cost
“The priority is the safeguard of human life,” recalls the maritime prefecture of the English Channel and the North Sea. So when the Cross, the call center for rescue at sea, receives a report of a board, a buoy abandoned at sea or belongings without an owner on the beach, rescue resources are immediately dispatched to the scene to remove any doubt. This can be nautical means via the SNSM, “composed only of volunteers” recalls the boss of the Channel lifeguards; Jean-Marie Choisy who emphasizes that as soon as the alert was launched, “all the crew rallies the station and leaves whatever they have to do.” the cost of using a rescue boat varies but for Jean-Marie Choisy, it is around 500 euros per hour.
When you hire a helicopter, the expenses are completely different. The maritime prefecture does not communicate figures but the Channel delegate of the SNSM estimates that this is close to 20,000 euros per hour of flight for the Cayman helicopter of the French Navy. The bill can therefore quickly climb for an intervention “for nothing” can therefore be considerable like last Sunday in Équeurdreville where the emergency services were mobilized all night.
Risks also for other users of the sea
The other problem highlighted by the authorities is that these means deployed on these interventions cannot be mobilized elsewhere, where they are really needed. In order to avoid any ambiguous situation, the prefecture asks sea users toimperatively call the Cross at 196 if they are forced to abandon an object at sea like a kite sail or a buoy for example. The emergency services, warned, will not trigger the alert when they find the object at sea. You must be vigilant on the beaches as well: “don’t leave your belongings on the beaches, let someone know when you’ll be back and also let someone know if you’ll be back later than planned,” recalls Jean-Marie Choisy.