New Brighton lifeboat station – temporarily off service
New Brighton lifeboat station – temporarily off service
Lifeboats News Release
The RNLI will take New Brighton lifeboat station temporarily off service for several weeks following a dispute with several lifeboat and hovercraft crew volunteers over a new training programme and the station’s management
The charity has decided to stand down several volunteers who have refused to commit to the standards required of all RNLI volunteers, which means that New Brighton will not be able to operate safely in the short term.
Over the next few weeks, RNLI teams will work with the station’s remaining volunteers, offering enhanced training and support, and creating a more positive environment for the crew. We aim to reopen the lifeboat station for a period in August.
We would like to reassure the public that we are confident that the lifesaving service provided by the RNLI to the people of Merseyside and the Wirral will continue to be carried out effectively by RNLI lifeboats stationed at Hoylake, West Kirby and by local lifeguards. The area will also continue to be served by Mersey Marine Fire 1 and we are working closely with HM Coastguard through this interim period.
The station has been affected by a dispute over several issues - the introduction of a new training programme, the station’s management, the outcomes of an investigation into various issues with the lifeboat crew, the attempts to address deficiencies at the lifeboat station and breaches of the RNLI’s Volunteer Code of Conduct. Those stood down are clearly unhappy but they do not represent the views of the majority of the crew, who we are pleased to say want to continue with the RNLI.
We plan to train the remaining crew to the required standard and also ensure they subscribe to the RNLI’s values and codes of conduct, which are critical to the running of a first-class lifesaving service. We will also be seeking to recruit new lifeboat crew to the station.
‘We explored a number of options for New Brighton before taking this step. Closing a lifeboat station, even temporarily, is not a decision to be taken lightly but we are confident that this is the right way forward,’ says Lee Firman, Divisional Operations Manager.
‘The RNLI has a duty of care to its lifeboat volunteers and to ensure that they feel safe, accepted and can volunteer within a welcoming environment. They should also expect to receive the right training, skills and equipment to meet the challenge of saving lives at sea. This is what we will be working with the New Brighton crew to achieve,’ Firman says.
The RNLI expects all lifeboat crew to abide by its codes of conduct and to ensure their skills and training are kept up to date. Where this is not the case, particularly where negative behaviour is involved, the RNLI will not hesitate to intervene and help crew become a coherent, safe and efficient team. The RNLI strives to create a culture within lifeboat stations where crew members can trust each other, and are able to progress and develop into senior roles.
‘New Brighton has a proud history of lifesaving and we are confident that, with the goodwill of the volunteers, the lifeboat will soon be back on service for the people of Merseyside and the Wirral,’ Firman says.
The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.
