On The Cover Saving Lives On Land And Sea Real Life
As a respiratory physio as well as a member of the RNLI, Suzie Jupp is a hero twice over!
Many emergency workers carry a pager, set to summon them, without notice and wherever they are, to help deal with a crisis. Suzie Jupp, on the other hand, carries two.
As a respiratory physiotherapist at Poole Hospital in Dorset she can be suddenly needed, even after having gone to bed at night. Coronavirus has added greatly to her workload. Her role is to provide treatment and rehabilitation for respiratory conditions, and over the past months her work tending to people in intensive care has been absolutely vital.
Suzie loves her job and finds it very rewarding but admits that, “If the hospital pager goes off during the night I do groan a little.” On the other hand, if her other pager goes off, there is a different reaction. Suzie juggles two incredibly important life-saving roles. Not only a physio, she is also a key member of the RNLI lifeboat service at Poole and frequently leads rescues, often in treacherous conditions.
“If the lifeboat pager goes off,” says Suzie, “it makes me spring out of bed.” Elsewhere in Poole, other crew members are also acting quickly. “Any call for help goes through to the coastguard first,” she says. “If it’s in our area, they then talk to the people with launch authority and they decide which of our lifeboats is more suitable. The crew are all paged and head to the station. Typically the boat is launched within seven or eight minutes of the pagers sounding.”
There are two lifeboats based at Poole, both rigid inflatables. The smaller one, called Gladys Maud Burton is ideal for shallow water rescues while the Sgt Bob Martin is larger, faster and more suited for open water. Suzie crews on the Sgt Bob and is helm on the Gladys Maud, taking full responsibility for the boat, the crew and any casualties.
It might be thought unusual, even today, for a lifeboat helm to be a woman but Suzie says female crew members are
growing in number. At Poole there are six. “Physically, all boat crew, whether male or female, perform in exactly the same way. However, for some rescues – perhaps involving children or vulnerable people who could be very distressed – we might prefer to pick a female crew. It could be better than sending the boys, although they probably wouldn’t agree!”
Suzie joined Poole RNLI in 2012. It was the result of a long-held ambition. “As a child,
I spent lots of summer holidays at Selsey Bill in Sussex just 150 yards from the lifeboat station there and I grew up watching the boats being launched. I was from a sailing family and being a crew member of a lifeboat was something I always thought I would want to do.”
Naturally, all lifeboat crew go through rigorous training in all aspects of seamanship. The crew are highly competent at what they do but cannot operate on their own. Behind their perhaps more glamorous role are a legion of others. There are mechanics, shore crew and those who fundraise or operate the RNLI museum and gift shop.
At Poole, rescue situations vary va enormously. Sometimes boats b are launched to help swimmers s in difficulties, while at a other times they go to jet-skiers j or kayakers in trouble t or broken down boats. b One rescue that has particularly p stuck in Suzie’s memory took place a couple of years ago.
“We had a report from people on the beach that a kayaker was in trouble off-shore. When we found him, he was very cold, and the kayak was sinking.
“As well as us, a helicopter was tasked with the rescue too. I remember distinctly the huge bulk of the helicopter hovering over us, winching the casualty up, and the sheer force of the downdraft with all the noise and spray that went with it.”
Many might have found the situation unnerving. Has Suzie herself ever been scared while carrying out her duties? She thinks for a while before saying, “When I first started, it did take me some time to be able to accept the boat’s capabilities in bad weather situations.” That sounds a little bit like a yes. “But now I have full trust in both boat and crew,” she continues.
Suzie also has some secrets to reveal. “I enjoy sea swimming but it’s not uncommon for the occasional lifeboat crew member to not be able to swim. If you think about it, they don’t need to because they’re wearing full buoyancy aids and, after all, the aim is for us not to end up in the water ourselves.”
Her final revelation might also come as a surprise. “Obviously lifeboat crew members love the sea and many have their own boats and spend time on the water. I have to say there have been occasions when they themselves have got into difficulties and have, rather embarrassingly, needed assistance. They tend to try to keep that quiet!”
Physically, all boat crew, male or female, perform exactly the same way