Emergency services / Unst coastguard stalwart given long service medal
A MEMBER of the Baltasound coastguard team has been presented with a 20-year long service and good conduct medal.
Derek Jamieson was given the medal at a handover ceremony on Sunday.
Coastal operations area commander Dave Sweeney said: “Derek’s commitment to the HM Coastguard and the Unst community has been second to none.
“His leadership of the Unst Coastguard team has been exemplary, ensuring they are well prepared for any incident that comes their way. I’d like to thank Derek for his dedication to HM Coastguard for the past twenty years, and look forward to working with him for another twenty to come.
“I’d also like to thank his wife Cheryl, and his children Michael, Sam and Natalie, for the support they have provided Derek over the years.
“There’s been countless late night phone calls, pagers going off and Derek incident working for hours upon end.”
Derek said he has found his time with the coastguard “extremely rewarding”.
“It’s good to be part of a team you know you can rely on to help folk in trouble around Shetland,” he continued.
“Most notable times have been the big searches involving coastguard teams from all over the Isles. It’s always good when you’re out on a search and you locate someone who would otherwise have had a cold and potentially dangerous night out in the open.
“It’s a bonus that although we’re here carrying out a very serious role, it’s good fun and I find things like cliff rescue and helicopter operations very enjoyable.
“The gear we use in rope rescue, water rescue and first aid has been fairly improved over the time but more importantly we now have foul weather gear that actually keeps you dry and really good boots!”
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