Release date: 25 July 2025
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service (WSFRS) has introduced a new partnership with HM Coastguard to improve operational efficiency at its Selsey base.
WSFRS will supply compressed air cylinders from Selsey Fire Station for HM Coastguard to use when responding to an emergency incident, to save them needing to transport their cylinder to have it recharged.
This will offer a significant time saving for HM Coastguard in the event of an emergency incident, while providing operational resilience.
HM Coastguard will also support WSFRS with the supply of specialist water rescue personal protective equipment during joint incident working to allow the fire service greater operational ability in emergency situations.
WSFRS Station Manager Mick Dunham is the service’s water rescue subject matter advisor, and has led the joint project to improve operational alignment. He said: “We work very closely with all of our emergency service partners, but following an emergency incident where we worked closely with HM Coastguard we identified areas where we could improve and support our colleagues at HM Coastguard through our Operational Assurance debrief process.
“Introducing this agreement between WSFRS and HM Coastguard will offer significant operational efficiencies for HM Coastguard and improve their, and our, operational capability.
“Minimising the amount of time it takes for them to recharge their cylinders will ensure they retain operational availability to respond in the event of an emergency when the public need them most.
“His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabularies and Fire and Rescue Services encourages further exploration of collaboration with emergency service partners, while our own Community Risk Management Plan strategic objectives also highlight the importance of a collaborative approach with our partners to help keep residents safe in the event of an emergency situation. We hope this will go some way towards improving the services that we are both able to provide in the event of an emergency.”
On Tuesday evening members of HM Coastguard attended Selsey Fire Station for a familiarisation session to discuss how the new agreement would operate.
Mike Kerley, Senior Coastal Operations Officer with HM Coastguard, said: "This is a great example of fellow emergency services working together to further enhance both our responses, making them sharp and effective for the public.
“This could benefit anyone who gets into difficulty by the shore. If you see an emergency by the coast, call 999 and ask for Coastguard.”
