Rescue divers in seabed clean-up

Divers from Methode Malta Ltd and the St John Rescue Corps recently brought up more than 250 kilos of waste dumped on the seabed near the Sirens waterpolo pitch in St Paul's Bay.

The clean-up, organised by Methode, led to the removal of a large number of bottles, cans, car parts and old rubber tyres, discarded fishing traps, disused ropes and torn carpets, household appliances, wooden planks, clothing and other discards.

Eighteen fully-qualified rescue divers from the Divers Division of the St John Rescue Corps and six divers from Methode took part in this environmental initiative.

The rescue volunteers from the St John Rescue Corps were led by Divisional Commander Alexander Camilleri, who described the operation as "very hard work".

This underwater clean-up exercise doubled-up as training for the rescue divers as this was the first underwater operation for 18 new divers of the Corps' Divers Division.

Divisional Commander Camilleri was assisted by Christopher Borg-Cardona, who commands the Cliff Rescue Division of the St John Rescue Corps.

Together with the St John Ambulance Association's Training Branch and the St John Ambulance Brigade (First Aid and Nursing), the Rescue Corps forms part of the St John Ambulance Malta, GC, and operates under the auspices of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem.

Unlike the St John Ambulance Brigade, whose task is to give first aid at public functions, football matches and other events, the mission statement of the Rescue Corps is to "provide a uniformed voluntary corps of organised and fully trained adults, able to carry out rescue operations and first aid efficiently.

They are to be prepared to go into action as an individual unit, in support of the constituted authorities of the Maltese Islands, when officially called upon by them, in case of major national calamities such as earthquakes, war, major air crashes, floods, and so forth".

The St John Rescue Corps is a fully voluntary paramilitary rescue organisation.