Baron Redsain Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Well done "bobdahog" A VERY valid point made against Mr “Donutâ€I would have thought with the “Donut’s†obvious vast experience of Operations room procedure’s he would have had that poor family rescued in minutes.Alas they are now all dead! ïŒPity.Never mind at least we saved something… by closing the Local MRCC Station…Precious Taxpayers Money!If you close these Stations, Lives WILL be lost!And NO “Mr Donut†you would NOT have saved them by using the local knowledge of the teams, or the lifeboats or the helicopters, nor the local fisherman nor the butcher or the baker. Why?Cause you didn’t have a clue which ones to contact? From a MOC you could I suppose narrow it down to Half the UK? So how long would that take to contact all the above people from about the Humber up to Unst? Hmmmmmm? More time than the drowning folk at Grola had, I fear.So It’s ok to lose the local knowledge at our Coastguard Station? I THINK NOT !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northerly Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Interesting fact..... Public sector success rate in delivering large-scale change/IT projects such as those proposed for HM Coastguard = less than 50% (source - National Audit Office) Examples of either complete failure or systems that don't work properly: FiReControl Project, NATS, Immigration & Nationality Service, NHS, Magistrates Courts in England and Wales, Child Support Agency, Dept for Education and Training, Passport Agency...to name but a few. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme_Storey Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 ^^^ which all leads to a gut feeling that I have:- If it ain't broke, then don't try to fix it - you could end up paying out more to solve all the new, unforeseen problems, than you were trying to save in the first place. Add to the above gut feeling the fact that undeniably lives will be put at more risk by the proposed changes, and it seems like a no-brainer to leave well alone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarffie Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 The MCA Press Office should be closed as it is absolutely useless and a complete waste of time and money. It does absolutely nothing to promote HM Coastguard and is frankly woeful when you compare it to, for example, the RNLI press machine, who successfully communicate to the public what it is they do. Furthermore the Press Dept. is full of numpties who can't spell and have appalling grammar, if you don't believe me, take a look here and have a read of some of this drivel: http://www.mcga.gov.uk/c4mca/mcga07-home/newsandpublications/press-releases.htm Now that seems pretty unfair to people trying to do their job in the eye of a storm. The MCA Press Office produces about 400 press releases a year, the vast majority grammatically correct. The level of spelling on this Forum leaves a lot to be desired, so should people in glass houses throw stones? Or is it because they are not peddling your line over the proposed closures? Crap in, crap out. If CGs rely on press officers to make sense of their log entries then its hardly fair to criticise them when they can't make sense of the story narrative. If a press release is cleared for release by the senior CG before release why doesn't he or she pick up any errors? Or perhaps they can't be bothered to read them? But just dealing with CG stories is not the whole story. The MCA deal with many other areas of concern which necessarily also take Communications time. The RNLI are a very different kettle of fish. Their well staffed Comms department is tied in closely to fund raising. Their media is everything to them in `tin rattling'. Do you really expect the MCA to publicize tow job after tow job? Just look at the RNLI's press page. Its endless. Thats very different to the MCA who are given a sum of money to use by the Department of Transport. Stories the MCA publish need to be viable, relevant and cogent. Seems to me they tick the box. I think on the whole we appreciate that the press department have a hard job "Markcl10" But you must realise some of the press officers are better than others both in attitude and/or spelling & grammer. What doesn't help is when we try and get the press office interested in an incident, in some cases we are met with complete disinterest... only to see a release on an almost identical incident days later, just the one being reported on is "south". There is a definate southern mentality amongst some people, when we are all supposed to be valued for what we do. The level of spelling on this Forum leaves a lot to be desired, so should people in glass houses throw stones? Or is it because they are not peddling your line over the proposed closures? Sorry but that is a pretty low blow: This is a public forum used by a huge variety of people, the Press Officers however are professional 'wordsmiths' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Northerly Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 MCA "appallingly complacent" says Tavish: http://www.shetlandtimes.co.uk/2011/01/17/communications-problems-make-mockery-of-coastguard-station-closure-plans-%E2%80%93-msp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustaffa Donut Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Barton Redstane, Bobajob etc I have beter things to do than try to educate simpletons. If you read back to the orginal question posed be bobajob about rescuing this casualty. In my reply, one of the first questions i asked was "what was the last harbour you departed from?" Local names or not, having the name of the harbour means you dont have to worry about local names for rocks, skerries etc. Bobajob was relucant to answer or was unable to answer and kept slavering doon his chin and going on like an uneducated baffoon. Once the last harbour of departure is you can then identify the local resources and they tap into their knowledge about local names for every stone around shetland. You guys are just demonstrating how unreasonable and unwilling to accept change. What is worng with moving to Aberdeen, anyone watch officer and above is getting paid for a mobile grade, i say so your metal do what you are paid for, show commitment to the job and move to Aberdeen to ensure there is a shetland pod of local knowledge to ensure the future safety of you fellow islanders! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ghostrider Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 In my reply, one of the first questions i asked was "what was the last harbour you departed from?" Vederik....Brake Beach....Ootva Noost. Good luck finding them on the MCA maps and charts, yet all are commonly used points of departure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest SJP17 Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Mustaffa Donut did he not say that in this senario the communications were severed after the inital mayday , therfore you would not have been able to ask what the last harbour was ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarffie Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Perhaps it was a cut off call Donut and you dont have the chance to get more information, or ask where they left from/going to. Maybe that is the point they are trying to get across to you. I know I've taken calls like that and in those instances local knowledge has paid dividends. Things we want to know: (1) having been so 'upset' about being "insulted", why are you now resorting to insults?(2) why don't you ever answer a straight question Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Angry Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Ah Mustaffa Donut your back, now where were we - @ Mustaffa Donut - Straight question:- Do you work for the Coastguard? Please give a straight answer. The answer to the above question is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustaffa Donut Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Quarffie etal, If i am resorting to insults it is because speak to you guys is like banging your head against a brick wall. Now comms is lost, is to the vessel or to the full island. If we can communicate with people on the other side of the world at anytime of the year or day but shetland is such a special case when it is mentioned about closing their station. If you guys cant accept it and just try to make excuses with everything, is this a islander ethos to alway look at the negative side. Wait it cant be because Stornoway arent, or is it because they know they will be staying open as a day station at least? Your station IS a very quiet station!Your names of place are not that difficult as the islands are not that big! Also we have computer mapping, charts, all bells and whistles!Tides are not an issue as the RNLI and SARIS will deal with them!You are just a crowd of uncle alberts trying to justify your easy job! Also why should you guys get distant island allowance of £3000 to £4000 a year for staying on a island that you choose to stay on? If you are honest most shetlanders are either in the boozer or in the dole centre anyway so what is a few more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mustaffa Donut Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Mr Angry Please devulge your name, employment, address and personal details also? What requirement is it of yours my occupation, this is a public domain and if i cant come on here and pose a few questions, i put it to you that you are out of order! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Angry Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Mr Angry Please devulge your name, employment, address and personal details also? What requirement is it of yours my occupation, this is a public domain and if i cant come on here and pose a few questions, i put it to you that you are out of order! Read the question, I couldnt give a sh1t what your name is and where you live.I am a merchant navy deck officer.Are you a coastguard or MCA employee Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarffie Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Quarffie etal, If i am resorting to insults it is because speak to you guys is like banging your head against a brick wall. Now comms is lost, is to the vessel or to the full island. If we can communicate with people on the other side of the world at anytime of the year or day but shetland is such a special case when it is mentioned about closing their station. If you guys cant accept it and just try to make excuses with everything, is this a islander ethos to alway look at the negative side. Wait it cant be because Stornoway arent, or is it because they know they will be staying open as a day station at least? Your station IS a very quiet station!Your names of place are not that difficult as the islands are not that big! Also we have computer mapping, charts, all bells and whistles!Tides are not an issue as the RNLI and SARIS will deal with them!You are just a crowd of uncle alberts trying to justify your easy job! Also why should you guys get distant island allowance of £3000 to £4000 a year for staying on a island that you choose to stay on? If you are honest most shetlanders are either in the boozer or in the dole centre anyway so what is a few more? yet again you fail to answer any question asked of you. and yet again your "facts" are wrong. island allowance is nothing like 3 to 4 k a year. besides which if you're going down that route don't forget to have a cowardly attack on Stornoway, and London, oh, and Dover for the extra they get for doing VTS, oh... or Aberdeen for CERS. and yet again you resort to insults and slurs. In anticipation of you resorting to form and crying "where have I insulted anyone", try: If you are honest most shetlanders are either in the boozer or in the dole centre anyway so what is a few more? for starters and to think, I thought you might just once in your posts, answer a question. don't know why I bothered. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graeme_Storey Posted January 17, 2011 Report Share Posted January 17, 2011 Ah Mustaffa Donut your back...He must be on the night shift - OOH, goodie - a whole night of us being called simpletons and idiots Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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