It doesn’t work on some crazy quick rapid response. These are volunteers who’s often at work or going about family life when they get the call. They donate there time unpaid and there not classed as emergency services (IMO wrongly) so they get there and launch as quick as possible but unlike say police, fire and ambulance they don’t have the resources to mobilise as quickly as the three emergency service and many if not all stations are unmanned. If it was classed as emergency service regardless or pay they’d be manned 24/7 and he a faster response. I agree it’s slow but it’s slow because of a failure of this country no recognising them as an emergency service and the delays of 999 to coastguard then the coastguard to page or these days message via app to dispatch and mobilise and then the crew coming from wherever they are home, work, weddings, funerals the list can go on.
It doesn’t work on some crazy quick rapid response. See plenty of comments on delays to launch. These are volunteers who’s often at work or going about family life when they get the call. They donate there time unpaid and there not classed as emergency services (IMO wrongly) so they get there and launch as quick as possible but unlike say police, fire and ambulance they don’t have the resources to mobilise as quickly as the three emergency service and many if not all stations are unmanned. If it was classed as emergency service regardless or pay they’d be manned 24/7 and he a faster response. I agree it’s slow but it’s slow because of a failure of this country no recognising them as an emergency service and the delays of 999 to coastguard then the coastguard to page or these days message via app to dispatch and mobilise and then the crew coming from wherever they are home, work, weddings, funerals the list can go on.
I dont think anyone does not admire the dedication of the volunteers. The negative comments are about how long it takes to get the boat out the garage and into the water. It seems like there must be a quicker way to get to the water.
These poor guys! What happened to the 'fast launch' slipways for the 60's/ 70's?? This boat seems to take forever to launch and to some poor soul clinging to a sinking boat a few miles out those minutes could mean a life :((( I am a full time supporter of the RNLI and in no way am I crtiticising the wonderful crews. If I was lcuky enough to live by the sea I would happily volunteer to join them. Stay safe people!
Have a look at this video to see why this type of launch system is used and not a slipway. It is called a variable tide ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-9--anG6RkbI.html
Sandman Huffmaster I think the response time is 6 or 7 minutes that’s from the pager going off to the boat in the water which is not bad going considering these men and women are volunteers and have day jobs
There are 230+ RNLI stations and a few independent stations around the coast of the UK and the republic of Ireland, the stations are where they are needed, then you figure out how to launch, in many cases this means that you have a stations in harbours with large tidal ranges or places with no harbour at all (skegness for example) so launching over the beach or down a slipway is used for all weather lifeboats
We do in the UK, where it's appropriate. But it's almost always the case that a slower launching boat from a station near the casualty will get there faster than a faster launching boat from a station further away. The 238 RNLI stations in the UK and Ireland are generally closer together than USCG stations in the US, it's a tradeoff. Having them closer together means that most stations aren't actually at a location where having the boat afloat would be practical, hence the use of Slipways, Trailers and, in one case, Davits, to launch the large All-Weather boats. Seahouses harbour is typical of those along that stretch of coast, it drys at very low tide and the coast around it is eroding and shallow sand unsuitable for a permanent harbour. The coast is also sparely populated, further limiting the number of potential sites for stations. Hence the trailer launch, which, these days, employs a more modern boat and articulated launch vehicle.
Why the Administration uses so many types of boats and (i.e. this type compared to Shannon type, other launching types tractor,sliding cradle,rolling etc)? They have not yet,had a verdict?😎
Jim Foley I’m ex-Mersey Class Lifeboat crew myself. There is always a head launcher who is in charge of the shore crew. They all have drills and communicate with Head Launcher who is in communication with the Tractor Driver. All of them can stop a launch at any point if they notice a hazard by blowing whistles.
JW93Emergency my apologies, it was obviously due to my lack of understanding I just thought it looked dangerous. Fair play I only learnt ye are volunteers. Well done.
Michael Wall These people have dropped everything- jobs, diner, whatever they were doing and got here in minutes. They are all unpaid volunteers yet save hundreds of lives every year. Who cares if it takes thirty seconds longer than a full time, live on site crew might take? If lifeboats were government funded you can guarantee there would be half as many or even less, chances are when you needed one it would be a hundred miles away not twenty. So a few minutes added to departure time is better than two hours added to travelling time under a government funded model!
