Anstruther RNLI to assist Fishing Safety team with community lifesaving event
A workshop to advise fishermen on methods of recovery should a person enter the water is to be held in Pittenweem.
The RNLI will roll out the invaluable workshop at the busy fishing port of Pittenweem in the East Neuk of Fife this March to showcase the various recovery methods available to different vessels with the primary aim to continue eliminating preventable loss of life at sea.
The event, which is the first of its kind in the area, will allow fishermen to come and discuss the current safety equipment they have aboard their respected vessels. The event will look at various options on the market, discuss the different alert systems available to raise the alarm to the authorities when a fisherman enters the water and also discuss the dangers and extreme effects on the body of cold water shock.
They will also be joined by the Anstruther inshore lifeboat which will carry out live demonstrations on the recovery of a person from the water using the different equipment on offer.
The RNLI Fishing Safety Team will be represented by John Fulton and Anstruther Lifeboat Station Coxswain Michael Bruce. The event will also be supported by Anstruther’s Deputy Second Coxswain Richard Scott.
Michael and Richard, who are both fishing vessel owners and run their boats from the Pittenweem port, recently visited RNLI headquarters in Poole on the south coast of England and participated in man overboard (MOB) simulations in the purpose built training pool at the college. They will look to offer their experience to fellow fishermen and friends.
Richard, a fisherman for over 17 years in Pittenweem commented, ‘This event is a good opportunity for local fishermen to come and hear for themselves the different options available to them and trial some of the equipment we will have with us on the day. I was fortunate enough to travel to the RNLI College and take part in the simulator where the temperature was higher than that we would experience here in the Firth of Forth but the effects it had on the body was astonishing. I lasted five minutes without a lifejacket and afterwards felt like I had run a marathon. The cold water shock affected different people in different ways and it has certainly given me a different outlook on the dangers involved. I have since changed my recovery equipment to suit my boat and the ultimate aim of the afternoon is to allow others the same opportunity.’
The event will take place in the Harbour master conference room on Friday 10 March at 12:00pm. For more information please contact Anstruther RNLI Press Officer Martin Macnamara on [email protected]
Key facts about the RNLI
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.
Learn more about the RNLI
For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries
Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.