Brush with death? George’s your man

Paint-spattered hero leads dedicated team of lifesavers

A LIFEBOAT hero whose daring rescue will feature in a BBC film is always easy to spot on duty – he arrives for emergency callouts covered in silver paint. Aluminium factory worker George Hodge, from Fife, has even left silver footprints at the Anstruther Lifeboat Station after rushing from work to save lives. The 25-year-old led the cliff rescue of holidaymaker Alison Ness earlier this year. The 66-year-old, from Dunfermline, shattered her arm in a fall on the famous Elie Chain Walk – a two-mile coastal scramble that has already seen one fatality this year. It was George’s first job as the coxswain of an RNLI inshore boat and was captured on body cameras. Alison was later lifted out BY JAMES MONCUR by a helicopter after George gave her emergency first aid on a cliff ledge.

Last night the crewman, who works for Metaflake Ltd, played down his heroics.

He said: “When the pager goes, it’s all about getting to the station as soon as possible. Sometimes that means I’m still covered in paint. I’ve been known to leave footprints in the station but I always clean them up.”

Describing the rescue, George, who recently hit the headlines for saving his fisherman dad Brian, added: “There was a big swell running which made my approach to the point on the chain walk that Alison was at challenging. It was clear that evacuating her would cause her discomfort. From that, I decided a helicopter was required.”

The incident will feature in a BBC programme Saving Lives At Sea, showcasing the great work RNLI teams carry out around the UK.

Team member Becky Jewell, 36, demonstrated how to complete the route during a safety demonstration yesterday.

RNLI operations manager Roy Giles advised anyone tackling the route to take precautions and check website Magic Seaweed for sea conditions.

Saving Lives At Sea, BBC2, 8pm tonight.