Claddagh Watch Patrol
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Mission Statement
The Main Object for which Claddagh Watch Patrol was established is the prevention of deaths by accident and suicide on the river and canals of Galway City by providing nightly patrols of volunteers along the waterways for the benefit of the community of Galway and visitors thereto. Subsidiary Objects: To raise awareness about supports available to people if they are feeling unwell or suicidal and to liaise with other like minded organisations and public bodies.
About This Cause
Claddagh Watch Patrol is a volunteer led charity, formed in 2019, with 7 Board members and approximately 80 volunteers including 5 Supervisors. They patrol from late evening until the streets near the waterways ie; river, canals and docks, are clear of people, which is usually between 3.30am and 5am. Patrols take place every Friday and Saturday night with extra patrols for Bank Holidays, Festivals, Race Week, Leaving Cert results etc. The aim of each patrol is to approach anyone near the water that looks distressed or disorientated and to move them away from the danger of the water. Should they need further support, the emergency services are called, and the casualty is kept safe until they arrive. Should anyone enter the water, Claddagh Watch volunteers, through there Supervisor, are on hand to notify the emergency services, give details of the description and condition of the casualty, where exactly they entered the water, etc, all of which is valuable information needed for a successful rescue by the emergency services. Since the first patrol on the 5th July 2019, no-one has been lost to the water on a CWP patrol night. 22 people have been rescued from the water, and hundreds more have been supported by CWP volunteers, with almost 1/3 of these needing hospital treatment for injuries or a mental health crisis. Claddagh Watch Patrol can also implement Life Buoy Rings to attempt a rescue, though the volunteers never enter the water themselves under any circumstances. Training for team members include online and face to face mental health and first aid, as well as face to face training in usage of kit, incident scenarios and how to keep themselves safe. Other patrol groups through Ireland have been contacted by Claddagh Watch Patrol with a view to forming a larger body to interact with each other, share training opportunities, advice on how to set up, insurances needed, equipment usage etc and to have a bigger voice when seeking funding. Over 30 groups have expressed interest in joining in, with plans in place for an inaugural meeting in Galway City in the future. The volunteers come from all over the world, with a good gender mix, ranging from later teens to late 60's. They are university lecturers, teachers, students, homemakers, tradesmen, business owners, unemployed, homeless, midwifes, GP's, Counsellors, and retirees. They are all Garda Vetted and once their Garda Vetting Clearance Certificate is received by CWP, they are asked to patrol once a month with the opportunity to patrol more often should they wish. CWP team members have visited other patrols like Wexford Marine Watch, Foyle Search & Rescue and Limerick Treaty Rescue on numerous occasions, building strong relationships, gaining insights and advice into how to improve. CWP have strong relationships with the RNLI, Coastguard, Fire Service and Gardai. Funding - Corporate and private funding from the general public has enabled CWP to invest in some state of the art rescue equipment, a vehicle and a large amount of jackets, wet gear and torches. There is a constant review of all gear and kit and regular replacements are expensive but essential. Claddagh Watch also sell branded merchandise at information and recruitment opportunities, which offer the general public an opportunity to find out about how CWP works, ask questions, sign up for recruitment and/or support CWP with a purchase or donation. This method of fundraising, recruitment and raising awareness has taken place in both Galway Universities, Shopping Centre's and in several large companies staffrooms and has been highly successful. An annual Golf Classic is held by CWP, with part of the profits gifted to other organisations. Previously a large clever screen training aid was donated to the local Galway RNLI and 3 AED's to an underprivileged areas of the City. CWP have also installed an AED in a hotel near the river as there was no other one in the vicinity. The base for CWP was a steel container, fully kitted out with storage and electricity, provided by several Galway businesspeople. A permanent, larger, more suitable base is now in place, with toilets facilities, a meeting/training space and room for bike storage that will allow a bicycle patrol into the docks area and the nearby University shortly. The Secretary, Operations Manager and all Supervisors are all in place to deal with any HR issues or complaints. Their contact details are issued to every member of the team should they wish to discuss an issue. Following an incident that involves any kind of violence, abuse, suicidal behavior or someone entering the water, the team will all be asked how they are dealing with it immediately after the incident, a full debrief is held at the end of the patrol, they are contacted the next morning to check on them, with an opportunity to meet up offered as well as the offer of professional counselling. All new volunteers are contacted the morning after their first patrol to see how they got on and for them to ask questions if needed. The safety and wellbeing of all of the team is a priority.