You’re in safe hands as training doesn’t stop
LAST week saw the turn of Trearddur Bay RNLI to feature in the Saving Lives at Sea series currently being shown on BBC Two.
The programme has proven to be extremely popular; providing an insight into the RNLI that most people would never have the opportunity to see. In this programme we saw the rescue of three divers that had been caught out by strong currents and left stranded on rocks near Rhoscolyn Beacon.
The footage taken from our Atlantic 85 class lifeboat showed the difficulty of the conditions and environment that our volunteer crew members sometimes have to work in. We hope it helped highlight the importance and indeed the quality of the training that all of our crew receive.
Conditions at sea are forever changing and it can be very easy to get caught out no matter how experienced you are, which is why we exercise twice a week, practising things like extracting casualties off rocks, veering down (a procedure used to manoeuvre the lifeboat under control to close proximity of the casualty using the anchor), towing and boat handling to name but a few.
Not all situations are a matter of life and death, however it is vital that when we turn up to a ‘shout’ we are prepared and professional. The last thing we want is to increase the anxiety of the casualty. By continuously training and practising these different techniques the volunteer crew members become very proficient and equally as important the crew bond grows stronger. In this way every member of an RNLI crew knows that the person next to them has their back and if you have confidence in those around you it makes it so much easier to work in sometimes extreme conditions.
We have had three new crew members join over the past few months and this week saw the first of their assessments. This is a very exciting time for new volunteers, having spent their first few months at the station becoming familiar with the crew and the boats they now have an opportunity to pass their first assessments and receive their pager. It also means they will be able to start going to sea regularly on training exercises. Over the coming winter months with ‘shouts’ being at a minimum the new volunteers should progress through their training and whilst they won’t be fully trained, should be ready for another busy summer next year.