A MARITIME operations officer from Barmouth who helped during an incident in the town last August has been recognised by the Royal Humane Society for his bravery and rapid response.

Off-duty and enjoying a day out at the coast with his family at the time, Alex Hill was reconised by the charity, which promotes life saving intervention, alongside two Gwynedd Council beach wardens Kane Triggs and Jordan Hewlett.

The trio leapt into action when multiple people got into difficulty in the water at the coastal hotspot in North Wales.

Putting into practice his operational skills and knowledge, Alex – who quickly realising there was danger to life unfolding right in front of his eyes – called 999 and made contact with the coastguard, providing all relevant information to his colleagues at Holyhead so that assistance could be sent to the scene immediately.

A split second after putting the phone down, Alex and the two beach wardens entered the water and helped rescue two young children and one man, bringing them to the shoreline. Alex also performed CPR on the adult.

These events occurred as search and rescue units – which included Barmouth RNLI lifeboat, Barmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, the coastguard helicopter from Caernarfon, Helimed, North Wales Police and Welsh Ambulance Service – made their way to the beach.

The adult casualty was passed into the care of the coastguard helicopter and ambulance service.

Alex’s swift but calm intervention under intense pressure has led to him and beach wardens Kane and Jordan being handed a Royal Humane Society Testimonial on Vellum accolade, which is awarded to individuals who put themselves in considerable danger to save, or attempt to save, someone else. The award is personally signed by the society’s president, Her Royal Highness, Princess Alexandra, as well as the chairman and secretary of the charity.

Alex was also awarded a resuscitation certificate for his efforts in aiding one of the casualties at the beach.

“My experience working with Her Majesty’s Coastguard, and familiarity of local conditions as a volunteer of seven years with Barmouth RNLI lifeboat crew, enabled me to recognise that these people were in a distress situation and relay a concise, full summary of what the incident was to our operations room inside 30 seconds,” said Alex, who left Barmouth and has been a member of the team at Holyhead for the past three-and-a-half years, said.

“The incident happened in the blink of an eye so it was really important that we reacted as fast as possible – and everyone played their part in helping, including members of the public at the beach – some of whom were trained paramedics.”

Cllr Trevor Roberts, deputy mayor, said: “I’m incredibly proud of the awards being presented to three young men from Barmouth. Receiving such prestigious awards from the Royal Humane Society is a great achievement. At no thought for themselves, they tried to do their best to save lives on a tragic afternoon last year. They should be proud of themselves.”