High-tech equipment ‘crucial’ to saving lives on the Corrib
The use of technology will be crucial in the fight to prevent the loss of life on the River Corrib, a multi-agency meeting of those involved in search and rescue was told.
The multi-agency meeting, which took place in City Hall last week, was attended by Gardaí, Galway Fire and Rescue, Galway Lifeboat, Irish Water Safety, the Coast Guard and voluntary rescue groups.
Thermal imaging cameras, the ‘Dan Buoy’, the Galway Safe phone app and new sonar technology are all at the heart of their strategy in prevention, search and rescue, and search and recovery, the meeting heard.
These cameras are the first of their kind in Europe – and possibly the world – combining CCTV, thermal imaging and wireless technology to create a system where the authorities are alerted once a body passes through sensors at certain points on the river.
The ‘Dan Buoy’ was introduced last year and this is something that will work with the new thermal imaging technology – providing those operating the searches of the likely route taken by a body once it enters the water.
The Galway Safe app is another weapon in that arsenal and since its launch last year, 700 people have downloaded it, said Neil Wilson of the Western Region Drug and Alcohol Taskforce, adding that they hope to see that number rise significantly this year.
“When someone passes through the higher risk area, between the hours of midnight and 6am, it tracks them when they’re walking home.
“If they are sat around in the area for five minutes or more, it sends an alert to their phone." This is a preview only. For extensive coverage of the multi-agency meeting on river safety, see this week's Galway City Tribune. Buy a digital edition of this week's paper here, or download the app for Android or iPhone.