All at sea together – or are they?
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) and HM Coastguard are often confused with each other, or thought to be one entity. But here the two organisations explain their distinct roles within the UK’s search and rescue framework.
Martin McNamara, RNLI press officer, spoke about the role of RNLI in the waters around Britain and Ireland:
What is the RNLI?
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the charity that saves lives at sea. Our volunteer lifeboat crews provide a 24-hour rescue service in the UK and Ireland.
We also have seasonal lifeguards who look after people on busy beaches.
RNLI crews and lifeguards have saved more than 142,900 lives since 1824 but we are more than a rescue service.
We influence, supervise and educate people too. Our community safety teams explain the risks and share safety knowledge with anyone going out to sea or to the coast, while our international teams work with like-minded organisations to help tackle drowning in communities at risk all around the world.
When was the RNLI founded?
The RNLI was founded in 1824 – next year, we will celebrate 200 years of lifesaving.
How many lifeboat stations and volunteers in the UK and Ireland are there in the present day?
The RNLI has 238 lifeboat stations around the UK and Ireland.
What service does the RNLI provide?
Our mission is simple – to save everyone. Our volunteers are ambassadors of our values, which are to be selfless, dependable, trustworthy and courageous.
Where does the RNLI operate?
The RNLI has 46 stations in Scotland; 12 of which can be found on Scottish islands and one inshore on Loch Ness.
What are some of the main dangers crews have to deal with in their volunteering service?
Our crews are willing to respond to the call for help in all weathers and sea states, leaving their loved ones to go to the aid of a stranger.
The RNLI ensures all of our crews are trained to the highest standard and our lifeboats are state-of-the-art to ensure safety levels are at an optimum.
Which other organisations or emergency services does the RNLI work with to save lives?
The RNLI works closely with all emergency services. As the coordinators of maritime search and rescue, the UK Coastguard task the RNLI to assist with incidents at sea.
We work alongside HM Coastguard rescue teams, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service personnel, and Police Scotland to help those in difficulty in the water.
Dave Graham, coastal area operations commander, for area 17 which covers Argyll and the islands, as well as Arran, talked about HM Coastguard’s responsibilities as a category-one emergency service.
What is HM Coastguard?
HM Coastguard is the national maritime 999 service for search and rescue, the operational arm of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
When someone is in trouble, one of our control rooms will coordinate the response, which might include sending coastguard rescue teams, helicopters or lifeboats, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Who are the people in HM Coastguard?
The Coastguard Rescue Service is made up of volunteers.
Anyone can volunteer to be a part of HM Coastguard, if you are aged 18 or over, have a full driving licence, and live or work within 30 minutes of your chosen rescue station.
All of our volunteers are trained in first aid, water rescue, map work, search techniques, communications, and specialist skills based on location.
Their reason for joining the Coastguard is always the same – to give something back to the community.
When was HM Coastguard founded?
On January 15, 1822 - last year HM Coastguard celebrated 200 years of protecting lives at sea with various events and celebrations across the country.
How has the service evolved during that time?
There have, of course, been many changes across two centuries of saving lives around the coast.
This includes new technology in the national network of Maritime Rescue Coordination Centres (MRCCs), or leading the way in rope, water and
mud techniques, as well as future-proofing communication infrastructure to be able to communicate reliably in order to save lives.
How many coastguard stations and volunteers are there today?
At present there are around 300 Coastguard teams, made up of 3,500 volunteers across the UK, and 10 search and rescue helicopter bases.
What services does the Coastguard provide?
HM Coastguard is responsible for responding to people in distress at sea, or in danger at the coast.
To achieve this we have three main operations: maritime, coastal and aviation.
Maritime operations is made up of teams within a network of MRCCs, and the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC) - the hub of the network.
The responsibility of the centres is to coordinate the response to incidents, send search and rescue assets accordingly, and liaise with partner agencies as required.
Coastal operations is a combination of full-time coastal operations officers and volunteer coastguard rescue officers.
Our teams are trained in emergency response casualty care, lost and missing person searches, and water safety and rescue, and where a specific risk exists, some teams are trained in rope rescue and mud rescue.
Aviation operations is our search and rescue helicopters, operated by Bristow Ltd and contracted to the MCA.
There are helicopter bases all over the UK, operating two different aircraft types.
Each aircraft is crewed by four people - a pilot and co-pilot, a winch operator, and a winchman who is also a paramedic - and includes an array of search and rescue tools, such as high-definition cameras, infrared, search lights, and communications options.
These aircrafts are coordinated by a specialist team in the JRCC - Aeronautical Rescue.
We have other voluntary assets available to us like the RNLI and independent lifeboat organisations, which declare themselves available for UK maritime search and rescue and are therefore eligible to be tasked and coordinated by the MRCC.
Where does the Coastguard operate?
HM Coastguards operates in the maritime and coastal environment, dealing with incidents in areas of water, cliffs and mud.
On occasion we will support partner agencies inland if an appropriate request is received.
Across Argyll and the Isles, we support Police Scotland with missing person searches.
We also support the Scottish Ambulance Service, mainly to manage helicopter landing sites for its air ambulance while attending rural or island locations.
Are there any particularly memorable rescues the Coastguard has undertaken in Argyll?
All of our teams do an amazing job, so it’s difficult to pick just one or two out.
Recently we rescued a person stuck halfway up a cliff. One of the teams was sent by the MRCC, which then set up a rope rescue system at the clifftop, rescued the casualty, and then lowered them to a waiting RNLI lifeboat in the sea below.
Another of our teams responded to a person in difficulties in the sea - the Coastguard rescue team and RNLI recovered them to the beach and provided casualty care, including successful CPR and use of a Coastguard defibrillator to save their life.
Some of our best work does involve working with our fellow emergency services.
Recently we helped Police Scotland with a missing person search. After a prolonged search involving the two agencies, and an RNLI vessel searching the water, the person was found and taken to hospital for minor treatment.
There are too many incidents to mention all of them, but needless to say our Coastguard rescue teams, working together with internal and external partners, save lives on a regular basis.
What are some of the main dangers teams have to deal with?
Our teams operate in remote environments, in all weathers, and at any time of day or night.
They must be prepared for the harsh West of Scotland environment, potentially for a long time.
Our teams are well equipped with personal protective equipment, lighting, communications and 4x4 vehicles, but personal resilience is also an essential quality in a Coastguard rescue officer.
Another danger of working in a hazardous environment is the aspect of rescuing someone who is in a precarious position themselves. Across Argyll and the Isles, teams are equipped and trained in water rescue and rope rescue, so that they can keep themselves safe while reaching a casualty and returning them to a place of safety.
Which other organisations or emergency services do the Coastguard work with to save lives?
We work alongside other emergency services and key civil resilience partners to ensure a coordinated response to any emergency.
HM Coastguard receives information from a variety of sources - it could come from a member of the public dialling 999 and asking for the Coastguard, a vessel on VHF channel 16 distress, or from a partner agency.
On receipt of information, the MRCC will open an incident, alert the relevant search and rescue assets, inform other key stakeholders, and coordinate the incident until a conclusion is reached.