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New signs have been installed along St Ouen’s Bay, advising members of the public the procedure to take when reporting an emergency incident and contact Jersey Coastguard through the 999 service.
As a result, seven static telephones sited along St Ouen’s Bay, which historically acted as an emergency direct link to Jersey Coastguard will be decommissioned over the next few weeks.
The telephones, which have become increasingly unreliable in their current locations have resulted in instances of false alarms through self-activation, whereby calls are made to Jersey Coastguard before disconnecting, leading to an increase in unnecessary call-outs and thereby preventing a genuine emergency to gain immediate priority.
The decision to remove these telephones has only been taken after full and careful consideration. A study was commissioned with the RNLI, which recommended the removal of these telephones. This has been supported and endorsed by the Jersey Emergency Planning Board and the Connétables of St Ouen, St Peter and St Brelade.
The Harbour Master, Jersey Harbours, Barry Goldman, said: ‘Advances in communication technology with mobile devices and improved network coverage have allowed for a more reliable and consistent way for members of the public to report emergency incidents around Jersey’s coastline. We have considered the case for the removal of these outdated emergency telephones carefully and have concluded that, with the danger of resources being diverted in response to a false alarm, their retention cannot be justified.’
New signs have been installed and telephones removed from the following sites along St Ouen’s Bay:
The removal of the emergency telephones will have no impact on the RNLI lifeguard summer service , which will continue to patrol St Ouen’s Bay between May and September.
