Future crew were paged to join the search after Easter eggs went missing at a Norfolk lifeboat station.
Youngsters whose mums and dads volunteer at Hunstanton RNLI responded quickly after the shout came in on Sunday 5 March.
Details were sketchy to start with, as they mustered for the tasking to await further instructions after donning their Future Crew kit.
'If anyone's gonna to find 'em it'll be them kids,' the EL (Egg Launcher) radioed up to the BOM (Bunny Operations Manager) in the ops room as eager searchers waited for the word to go. 'This crew can smell chocolate a mile away, over.'
'Clear for launch, clear for launch,' came the reply over the airwaves. 'Let 'em loose when ready, over...'
After being given a SMEAC (Search Missing Eggs And Chocolate) briefing by hovercraft commander and lifeboat helm Jon Butler, children fanned out to scour the boathouse and hovercraft shed.
And they didn't take long to complete their mission by filling their buckets, before tucking in over their de-brief.
'Local knowledge clearly played a part here,' one crew member said. 'Some of them have done this before, so they've got a good idea where to start looking.'
Mums and dads were on hand to watch as the operation unfolded, which involved 10 future crew.
Families provide vital support to all of the adult crew at the busy station and more than 200 like it, who are on call 24/7, 365 days a year.
As well as rushing away to deal with emergencies at all hours of the day and night when their pagers go, volunteers must also juggle home life with demanding training schedules to maintain their skills which mean more time away from their loved ones.
Social activities are arranged throughout the year to thank all those without whom the station would struggle to operate, including a children's Christmas party, summer barbecue and a beach picnic - not to mention its legendary sandcastle competition.
Children are known as future crew at Hunstanton because the station has a proud history of sons and daughters following their parents into the RNLI, while some current members are third generation members of the 'family' at Sea Lane, which also includes fathers and sons, along with mothers and daughters.
Notes to editors
Volunteers at Hunstanton RNLI operate the inshore lifeboat Spirit of West Norfolk and search and rescue hovercraft
Hunstanton Flyer.
They cover The Wash, a coastal estuary of more than 200 square miles along with parts of the North Norfolk coast.
Crew members at the busy station are on call 24/7, 365 days a year; while their work is supported by its visits, shop and outreach teams, along with the Hunstanton and West Norfolk RNLI Lifeboat Guild which raises funds for the charity that saves lives at sea.
RNLI media contacts
For more information call Chris Bishop, Hunstanton RNLI volunteer Deputy Lifeboat Press Officer on 07584 147219, Clare Hopps, RNLI Regional Communications Manager, North and East on 07824 518641, or the RNLI Press Office on 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that 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 146,700 lives.
Learn more about the RNLI
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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.
