Civil Service in the news

Saving lives on the high seas

Two volunteers with the Royal national Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) explain why they do what they do and what’s so special about being part of a lifeboat crew.

James Findlay is Assistant Director of ICT at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency and Peter Weller is France Desk Officer at the Directorate of Policy and Defence Relations. Both are members of the Cowes Inshore Lifeboat crew for the RNLI.

Could you explain a bit about what the RNLI does and how you both got involved?

James: The RNLI is the charity that provides a 24-hour lifesaving service around the UK and Republic of Ireland through both its lifeboat and lifeguard services. I joined the Cowes Inshore Lifeboat about five years ago as crew. The lifeboat was independent until recently, when we voted to become part of the RNLI, thus ensuring the long-term future of a lifeboat service to the Cowes community and those many visitors that come to the Isle of Wight.

Peter: I too joined the lifeboat about five years ago. Emma, who is now my wife, was on the crew at that time and we thought if the pager goes of in the middle of the night we both might as well get up as one of us. More seriously, we both spend a lot of our leisure time on the water, and find it a beneficial and rewarding way to put something back into the safety of the area we enjoy so much.

What is your role for the RNLI?

James: I am part of the Inshore Lifeboat crew and under the direction of the helmsman, assist with the launching and recovery of the lifeboat, operating the radio communications and navigation equipment, the safety of the lifeboat and other members of the crew and of course providing a service to those in distress or in need of assistance.

Peter: As a helmsman on the lifeboat, I am responsible for the safety of our own vessel, together with crew safety while afloat. I usually drive the lifeboat, although sometimes that role might be delegated to a crew member while I direct a search pattern for example.

Do you get called up for emergencies, or do you work specific times for the RNLI?

James: Yes through a paging system. However, I work on the mainland so I am not normally available during the day.

Peter: In addition to the emergency callouts we are required to be on the water for regular crew training and exercising. On other occasions we might launch for publicity reasons, in support of a local event such as Cowes Week, Round the Island Race or the Powerboat Festival – of course at these times we are fully operational and are often required during these busy periods.

What kind of satisfaction do you both get out of volunteering with the RNLI and is there a strong sense of camaraderie between you all?

James: For me this is about giving back to the local community the best way I can. I was in the Merchant Navy for many years, followed by six years in Bermuda at the Rescue Co-ordination Centre providing maritime Search and Rescue (SAR) services. I now work for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency which is responsible for maritime SAR in the UK.

Now that I am not so hands on in SAR at work, it gives me a lot of satisfaction to be able to be hands on through crewing on the lifeboat and helping people from the community in which I live as well as the maritime community in which I used to work in at sea. There is a great spirit amongst the crew, particularly now that we have become part of the RNLI family.

Peter: I agree with James, it is a great way to give something back to the community; we are also a strong team. You need to be able to trust and rely on your colleagues under sometimes arduous conditions.

What kind of a difference do you think you make?

James: Providing a lifeboat service in one of the world’s busiest sailing centres does make a difference, both in a practical saving lives sense as well as in the minds of visitors to the Isle of Wight and specifically Cowes that there is this service available 24 hours a day.

Peter: we regularly receive feedback from people we have assisted – we have certainly made a difference to them, and I know within a close community such as Cowes which revolves around sailing so much that the town is proud of their ‘own’ lifeboat.

James Findlay wearing his lifesaving outfit

Your departments offer you six days off to volunteer. Do you think this is something all departments should do and how valuable an experience do you find volunteering?

James: The Maritime and Coastguard has nearly 3,500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers around the UK and so has an excellent attitude to those full-time staff who want to get involved in voluntary public service. Both from a personal and business perspective, staff participating in community or civic affairs makes sense. It provides the individual with broader experiences which work sometimes cannot provide; and the skills learnt and experiences gained with this involvement in community work adds value to the business. It is definitely something departments and agencies should consider.

Peter: The Ministry of Defence has been excellent in allowing me time off to train with the lifeboat, and for operational and related tasks too. I am sure I have become a stronger team player directly because of my lifeboat involvement, and have also developed other skills such as leadership, delegation and decision making.

Does your voluntary work affect your work, in terms of outlook, knowledge and skills?

James: At work, HM Coastguard provide the coordination of RNLI lifeboats and other rescue resources, so being on the operational end of that process brings a lot of benefits to me in understanding some of the practical issues that colleagues at work have and as a consequence has a direct benefit to my work, which is to ensure that the ICT infrastructure, which includes the national radio networks and command and control systems, are as robust and user friendly as possible. At the end of the day this is about public safety and there can be little margin for error, both for those conducting the rescue and those being rescued.

Peter: One of the most significant benefits I have noticed is my relationship with military personnel I work with, particularly the Navy, who value and respect the skills, time and knowledge that being part of a lifeboat crew requires.