Seven call outs in 72 hours for Plymouth volunteer lifeboat crew
The volunteer crew at Plymouth lifeboat station have had a very busy time recently with pager alerts and shouts.
So far this month the pager has gone off 15 times with seven alerts in 72 hours over last weekend alone.
The volunteer crew members of Plymouth’s all-weather lifeboat Sybil Mullen Glover and inshore lifeboat Millennium Forrester have been on standby and attended each shout efficiently and with compassion.
The shouts have been varied, ranging from a dog reported in the sea at Sutton Harbour to a lengthy multi-agency search of the River Tamar early one morning, with the crews prepared to stay on scene for as long as they were required.
The volunteer crew have also gone to the aid of a yacht with engine failure and escorted a powerboat to safety.
There have also been several shouts where the crew was called with good intent, but later stood down.
Coxswain David Milford said: ‘Plymouth is an extremely busy lifeboat station and our crew members are on call 24/7, 365 days a year. In 2016 Plymouth was the busiest station in the south west and the sixth most busy station across the UK and Ireland. In 2017 our lifeboats between them have launched 70 times to date. We are very thankful to our volunteer crew members who are willing to drop everything to go out to sea at a moment’s notice and to their families and employers for being so understanding.’
Notes to editors
- Plymouth RNLI lifeboat has been operating since 1862. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/plymouth-lifeboat-station
- Pictures attached with captions. Credit RNLI / Les Butler.
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