Marine Rescue Centres
Operations Section in the IRCG coordinates response to incidents through the Marine Rescue Coordination Centre and Sub Centres at MRCC Dublin, MRSC Valentia and MRSC Malin. Response on the coast is provided by Search and Rescue Units (SRUs) which include Coast Guard Helicopters, Coast Guard volunteer Units and declared resources such as the RNLI, Community Inshore Rescue Boats, the Marine Incident Response Group (Dublin Fire Brigade), the Marine Ambulance Response Team (National Ambulance Service) and vessels and aircraft in the area.
Coast Guard Unit & Support section
The Coast Guard Unit & Support section is responsible for the management, resourcing, and training of the volunteer Coast Guard Units on the coast. The volunteer Coast Guard Units provide a very important local maritime emergency response. There are 44 Coast Guard Units around the coast made up solely from the local communities. There are approximately 940 volunteers in all. Coast Guard Units provide a coastal search capability on the shore. In addition to coastal search capability some units are trained to provide a cliff rescue capability, boat rescue and support capability and also Unmanned Aerial Vehicle search capability. Coast Guard Units are also available to enhance community resilience during emergencies such during storms or situations such as COVID 19 when requested by Principal Response Agencies/Principal Emergency Services.
The IRCG Engineering and Logistics section
The Coast Guard Engineering and Logistics section is responsible for the marine radio communications infrastructure to support the Marine Rescue Centres. The section maintains 19 VHF voice and DSC radio sites situated around the Irish coastline and a national digital paging system. In addition, there are two VHF repeater test sites, four MF radio sites and two NAVTEX transmitter sites. These resources are wireline connected through to the manned control centres at Dublin, Malin Head and Valentia. Engineering section also maintains the radio and IT infrastructure for the maritime AIS system. Responsibility is also extended to the communications equipment in use by the Coast Guard volunteers around the Irish coastline. Engineering also manages the Coast Guard stores in Blanchardstown which supplies Coast Guard units with equipment and personal protective equipment, radio equipment and also stores the national stockpile of oil spill response equipment.
Safety, Quality and Compliance section
The Coast Guard Safety, Quality and Compliance section’s responsibility is to integrate all IRCG processes into a single management system, referred to as the Quality Management System (QMS). And once established, to ensure the IRCG operates in compliance with each QMS component. Doing so aids in ensuring operational consistency and provides assurance to the IRCG’s customers and stakeholders that the organisation is being managed in accordance with the IRCG’s Safety Statement, pertaining to its legislative and its system requirements.
Maritime Strategy and Governance Division
The Coast Guard is supported by Maritime Strategy and Governance Division (MSGD) within the Irish Maritime Directorate. MSGD supports corporate functions such as procurement, finance, IT, HR and administrative functions for the Coast Guard.
Status
The Irish Coast Guard is a uniformed service comprising of 80 fulltime staff and 1,000 volunteers. It primarily provides a search and rescue service; it is not a law enforcement agency nor a military organisation.