null - DfT - Coastguard

This TV ad emotively describes the necessity of the Coastguard service and aims to drive awareness that, in an emergency at the coast or at sea, you should call 999 and ask for the Coastguard. The ad juxtaposes genuine audio clips from a real emergency call from Fraserburgh Beach, Aberdeen, against footage of ideal beach weather taken at the exact same location just a few days later. The panicked call describes how three people have been washed out to sea, leaving a young girl, one of their party, on shore. She makes the 999 call and is swiftly passed through to the Coastguard network, which coordinates the search and rescue and an RNLI lifeboat rescues the children involved. Contrasting with this frantic and distressed audio, the visuals show the beach on a peaceful day. This juxtaposition provides the chilling realisation that we are viewing exactly same spot the terrifying incident took place. The film is a reminder that a day at the beach can look harmless and beguiling, but that calm seas can quickly become dangerous. Therefore, if a day by the sea suddenly gets out of control, people need to know to call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.