Shoreham RNLI celebrates five volunteer pass outs in March
The volunteer crew at Shoreham RNLI have been busy training all through the winter to make sure they have the most up to date skills to save lives when the pager goes. This March, they are celebrating the achievements of five operational volunteers.
The month began with the pass out of two volunteer boat crew members, Andrew Fitzgerald and Alex Mallalieu, who passed their assessments to become Tier Two crew. Two weeks later, Isobel Tugwell and Tom Young reached the same milestone.
All four crew members were assessed under the RNLI’s Operational Competency Framework, which is designed to provide volunteers with a clear and structured training framework. During the assessments, which took place afloat during a training exercise, an RNLI coastal lifeboat trainer asked the volunteers being assessed to demonstrate their skills in a number of scenarios, including navigation, towing, man overboard and helming (driving) the lifeboat.
Andrew said: “I’m incredibly proud of us all for passing our final assessment to become substantive all-weather lifeboat crew! We’ve all worked hard and are grateful for the support, tuition and guidance from our fellow volunteers at Shoreham. We see this as a significant commitment to our fellow crew, our community and to those who may one day need our help.”
The team are also celebrating the achievements of Jo Bellm, who passed out as a Launch Authority. Launch Authorities are an essential part of an RNLI lifeboat station as they are the volunteers who receive the first contact from HM Coastguard and who will make the decision to launch a lifeboat. They also assist the lifeboat operations manager with the day-to-day management of the station.
Launch Authority Geoff Carr said: “We are so pleased for them and proud, as we know the hard work and commitment it has taken to reach this milestone. They are great examples for all the new trainee crew coming through as part of our Shoreham family.”Notes to editors
Contacts: For more information on this news release, please contact:
Liz Zachary, Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, [email protected]
or Hatti Mellor, Regional Communications Manager, [email protected]
Key facts about Shoreham Harbour RNLI: Shoreham Harbour RNLI has been saving lives at sea since 1865. Home to a Tamar class all-weather lifeboat, the Enid Collett, and a D class inshore lifeboat, the Joan Woodland,1 the crew respond to, on average, 80 to 90 shouts a year, covering an area from Brighton Marina to Worthing Pier. The station is run by around 100 volunteers who include a lifeboat operations manager, launch authorities, boat and shore crew, an administrative officer, press officers, fundraisers, shop staff, a visits team, and water safety advisers. No experience is needed to join as a volunteer as comprehensive training is provided.
Notes:
1 More information on the RNLI’s lifeboat fleet, including the Tamar and the D class, can be found here: https://rnli.org/what-we-do/lifeboats-and-stations/our-lifeboat-fleet
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.
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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.