Part 2 · audioscript
I never really planned to be a lifeboat volunteer when I came to live in Northsea. I’d been working in London as a website designer, but although that was interesting, I didn’t like city life. I’d been really keen on boats as a teenager, and I thought if I went to live by the sea, I might be able to pursue that interest a bit more in my free time. Then I found that the Lifeboat Institution was looking for volunteers, so I decided to apply.
The Lifeboat Institution building here in Northsea’s hard to miss; it’s one of the largest in the country. It was built 15 years ago with funds provided by a generous member of the public, who’d lived here all her life. As the Lifeboat Institution is a charity that relies on that kind of donation, rather than funding provided by the government, that kind of help is much needed.
When I applied, I had to have a health assessment. The doctors were particularly interested in my vision. I used to be short-sighted, so I’d had to wear glasses, but I’d had laser eye surgery two years earlier so that was OK. They gave me tests for colour blindness and they thought I might have a problem there, but it turned out I was OK.
When the coastguard gets an alert, all the volunteers are contacted and rush to the lifeboat station. Our target’s to get there in five minutes, then we try to get the boat off the dock and out to sea in another six to eight minutes. Our team’s proud that we usually achieve that – the average time across the country’s eight and a half minutes.
As well as steering the lifeboat, as a ‘helmsman’, I have the ultimate responsibility for the lifeboat. I have to check that the equipment we use is in working order – we have special life jackets that can support up four people in the water. And it’s ultimately my decision whether it’s safe to launch the boat. But it’s very rare not to launch, even in the worst weather.
As well as going out on the lifeboat, my work involves other things too. A lot of people underestimate how windy conditions can change at sea, so I speak to youth groups and sailing clubs in the area about the sorts of problems that sailors and swimmers can have if the weather suddenly gets bad. We also have a lot of volunteers who organise activities to raise money for us, and we couldn’t manage without them.
The training we get is a continuous process, focusing on technical competence and safe handling techniques, and it’s given me the confidence to deal with extreme situations without panicking. I was glad I’d done a first aid course before I started, as that’s a big help with the casualty care activities we do. We’ve done a lot on how to deal with ropes and tie knots – that’s an essential skill. After a year, I did a one-week residential course, led by specialists. They had a wave-tank where they could create extreme weather conditions – so we could get experience at what to do if the boat turned over in a storm at night, for example.
Since I started, I’ve had to deal with a range of emergency situations.
But the work’s hugely motivating. It’s not just about saving lives – I’ve learned a lot about the technology involved. My background in IT’s been useful here, and I can use my expertise to help other volunteers. They’re a great group – we’re like a family really, which helps when you’re dragging yourself out of bed on a cold stormy night. But actually, it’s the colder months that can be the most rewarding time. That’s when the incidents tend to be more serious, and you realise that you can make a huge difference to the outcome.
So if any of you listeners are interested…