Mary mounts a new campaign

Dundalk Democrat - Saturday 3rd August 2002

Following her successful campaning in having a new Voice Control Paging System installed for the Boyne Fishermen River Rescue and Recovery Service, and Garda Coastwatch Service, which was published in the "Democrat" last week, Ardee woman Mary Johnson, John Street, has mounted another campaign for the River Rescue Service.

This time, her campaign is to have safety measures put in place along the River Dee, in Ardee, and the Mid Louth area.

Speaking this week Mary said; "We need to have proper access for the rescue services to gain entry into the Dee in the case of an emergency for the Boyne River Rescue and Recovery Service, or any other rescue personal. As it is, and has been, for a very long number of years, there are no access entries to the water.

"The situation in Ardee, and along the banks of the Dee to the sea in Annagassan, is that there are no entry points for a rescue boat to get into the river. This problem will have to be overcome", she said.

Mrs. Johnson continued; "There are also no buoys at any point along the Dee in the Ardee area. This again will have to be looked at. Ardee has a problem, and we will have to work at it to get it solved. With the huge traffic problem on the roads leading into the town, I feel that a slipway into the river will have to be located somewhere near the new link road".

Mary continued; "The reason I mention the link road is that it would be much quicker to get up or down the river in the rescue boat than be stuck in the traffic coming into Ardee.

The rescue service could drive down the motorway, and over the Ardee link road, and get their boat into the river without having to drive into the town".

Mary also revealed that Ardee is to be linked up to the new Voice Central Paging system which will be operated through the Garda station. She also said that the Boyne Fishermen Rescue Recovery Service men are in the future willing to come to Ardee and train locals who are interested in Search and Rescue on the rivers.

Mrs. Johnson said that she had spoken to an official from Louth County Council about her proposals, and the matter is going to be looked into.

"I feel that we can make progress on this matter.

We want buoys at various locations along the Dee. We want proper slipways for the rescue boats. And most important, we want the same river rescue services for Ardee that are in place in most other towns in Ireland".

A spokesman for the Council said that a meeting can be arranged with the Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Service to go into all the details of the River Dee. We have learned that this meeting is being arranged, and from what we can gather there is goodwill on all sides to make very effort to have the problem overcome.

Mary Johnson concluded; "I am hopeful that we can have proper entries made into the Dee for the rescue boats. I am also hopeful that in time we can have people from Ardee trained in the river rescue service, I hope that there are people who will be interested. As it is, a rescue boat has to be dropped into the water in the Dee. This can take up valuable time if a person was in the water".

Mrs. Johnson who has campaigned for the Boyne Fishermen Rescue and Recovery Service said that with goodwill by the local authorities and the people of Ardee she could see no reason why the town could not establish a river rescue service of its own in future years.

© Dundalk Democrat