Medical evacuation from Wind Osprey underway as winter keeps Polish SAR services under pressure

According to Sebastian Kluska, Director of the Polish Maritime Search and Rescue Service (MSPiR SAR), the decision to deploy rescue assets was taken immediately after the alert was received.

- Following an operational assessment, the duty officer dispatched the rescue vessel m/s Huragan from the Maritime Rescue Station in Łeba, along with a search and rescue helicopter from Darłowo, operated by the Polish Navy, Sebastian Kluska said.

At the time of reporting, the operation was still ongoing, with SAR personnel already on board the vessel.

Exceptionally demanding winter season

This winter has proven to be particularly demanding for maritime rescue services along the Polish coast, with low temperatures, ice formation and rapidly changing weather conditions significantly increasing the number of emergency responses.

- It has been an extremely busy winter for our crews. We are responding almost daily to incidents both at sea and in coastal areas, Sebastian Kluska noted.

Just a day earlier, a serious accident occurred on the beach in Mikoszewo, where a man fell from winter ice ridges formed along the shoreline. In recent weeks, SAR units have also repeatedly assisted individuals who became stranded on the frozen waters of the Gulf of Puck and the Gulf of Gdańsk, as well as in the area of Rewa Cape, often after underestimating the dangers posed by unstable ice.

False alerts remain a serious concern

Alongside genuine emergencies, SAR services continue to face the challenge of false distress calls, which unnecessarily tie up critical rescue resources.

- Every report is treated as a potential life-threatening situation. Unfortunately, we also deal with irresponsible hoaxes, such as a recent call reporting a ‘child under the ice’, which turned out to be a prank by children, the SAR Director said. - Such incidents not only generate significant costs but also risk delaying assistance to those who may genuinely be in danger.

Polish maritime rescue authorities continue to urge the public to exercise caution during winter conditions and to refrain from activities that could endanger life or divert emergency services from real emergencies.