The crew of the Aith lifeboat are welcoming a generous donation of thermal imaging binoculars from a philanthropic foundation with Shetland connections.
RNLI
The new thermal imaging binoculars infront of Aith's 'Severn' class RNLI lifeboat
The new high-tech binoculars – kindly provided by The Skipasund Foundation – will allow the volunteer RNLI crew based in Aith to further improve their search and rescue capabilities, and matches a donation made to the RNLI’s Lerwick lifeboat station in 2024.
The high-resolution thermal sensors contained within the binoculars can detect heat sources up to 2km away, even in complete darkness, making them particularly useful for search and rescue responses during Shetland’s winter months.
As well as being waterproof, the binoculars also have a laser rangefinder which is accurate up to 1,000 meters, and a built-in photo and video recorder with the ability to transfer images to other devices.
The Skipasund Foundation was founded by Icelandic businessman Haraldur Agustsson, whose Globus Group company (now based in Manchester) started providing personal protective equipment in Shetland over 30 years ago, and has made several donations in support of the RNLI’s efforts to save lives at sea.
Nathan Mann, coxswain of the Aith lifeboat, stressed the difference that donations such as these can make to effective operations:
“The increased capability of these binoculars will help us to find folk faster in the water or along the coastline, in situations when every second can count. As an independent charity, less than 1% of the RNLI’s funding comes from government – and so we rely on the kindness of our donators and supporters to keep lifeboats maintained and volunteer crews well equipped.”
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.
