RNLI age rant

[maxi77]

Touche.I know exactly where you are coming from but regret to inform you 65 is optimistic.Your retirement age will be 66 or higher depending on your current age.
The comparison with the RNLI is interesting.They go out and work hard a few times a week,but you go out seven or eight times a shift.How many years can you realistically keep that up?Good luck with it anyway

There are plenty of hard graft industries where the state retirement age is the normal retirement age.

 

[deuc02]

I obviously don't know what you do for a living pal, but if your world can be any more real than mine I'd like to know about it.

My world is as real as the next persons. What makes yours any different "pal".

 

[rallyveteran]

As a paramedic who, under the latest pensions review, is now required to work to 65, I think a 45 year old cut off is a bit of a joke (although obviously a slightly different situation as the RNLI are all volunteers)

Not so. All that is now happening is that the pension you have yet to accrue won't be paid in full until age 65. You can still stop work as a paramedic whenever you want, and retire whenever you want to stop all paid work. Plenty of other jobs get harder as you get older, and people have to choose whether to change occupation, go part time, or whatever. You are still in the fortunate position of having much better pension (as a proportion of your earnings) than most other people.

 

[nortada]

Not so. All that is now happening is that the pension you have yet to accrue won't be paid in full until age 65. You can still stop work as a paramedic whenever you want, and retire whenever you want to stop all paid work. Plenty of other jobs get harder as you get older, and people have to choose whether to change occupation, go part time, or whatever. You are still in the fortunate position of having much better pension (as a proportion of your earnings) than most other people.

Think comparing RNLI unpaid volunteers with those in gainful employment rather misses the point.

This thread has turned 180 degrees from the right to be on a lifeboat over the age of 50 to forced to work until the national retirement age. Fred Drift or what

 

[obmij]

There's no age limit to getting aboard a lifeboat!

Anyway - my impression is, there are far more volunteers than spaces on boats. I suppose age is a reasonable limiting factor, given the cost of training etc..

My local lifeboat crew all seem to be related by marriage or work, so 18 or 80 I doubt it would matter either way...

 

[delab]

Retirement age for I shire lifeboats, D class and Atlantics is 55, retirement age for all weather boats is now 65....

 

[delab]

New retirement ages... For I shore lifeboats 55, for all weather boats it's now 65...

 

[BrianH]

There's no age limit to getting aboard a lifeboat!
Anyway - my impression is, there are far more volunteers than spaces on boats. I suppose age is a reasonable limiting factor, given the cost of training etc..
My local lifeboat crew all seem to be related by marriage or work, so 18 or 80 I doubt it would matter either way...

A couple of generations ago when I lived and sailed out of Whitby I was desparately keen to get on the lifeboat crew but the age limit was 40 then, which angered me too when I passed that limit while applying, and far more applicants than required. Most of the crew then were a local clique of fishermen who lived around the harbourside - probably had all the best attributes anyway - even if none of them could swim.

 

[sailorman]

To clear up a few points that have been raised earlier in this thread:

The age limit mentioned, 45, (with an option to extend service to 55, recently increased from 50) only applies to inshore lifeboats i.e. inflatables/Atlantic RHIBs

I believe the retirement age for volunteers on all-weather lifeboats is 60, but I may be wrong (I'm ILB crew).

All lifeboat crew have to undertake a regular fitness test, regardless of age. The current ILB one includes step, lifting and grip tests, plus reboarding the lifeboat from the water (which isn't as easy as some on here think it is, even on a RHIB).

As someone else has mentioned, the reason for the apparently low retirement age is mainly due to the increased risk of back injury. Although the more recent versions of the Atlantic ILB have a gentler ride than what went previously, it still bl**dy hurts sometimes when you land off a big wave. And that can go on for several hours during a long search.

Is it a young man's boat? Well, I'm nearly 50, and have been crewing for well over 20 years. I'm very fit, running and/or cycling every day, but even so I ache a bit the day after a bouncy trip in the boat, in a way that I didn't when I was in my twenties or thirties.

Hopefully I'll be able to carry on till 55, but if it gets too much I'll have to be realistic and call it a day.


And yes, I know Henry Blogg carried on till he was 70, but his lifeboat only did about 8 knots!

But still done the most heroic jobs, & the most decorated Lifeboatman to date

 

[sailorman]

Touche.I know exactly where you are coming from but regret to inform you 65 is optimistic.Your retirement age will be 66 or higher depending on your current age.
The comparison with the RNLI is interesting.They go out and work hard a few times a week,but you go out seven or eight times a shift.How many years can you realistically keep that up?Good luck with it anyway

Try laying kerb stones for 8 hrs a day x 5 days a week

 

[dslittle]

How old are you he asks, 47 i reply oh your to old 45 is the age limit.................. WHAT!!!!! HOW THE ***** THAT.......was my somewhat unbelievable cry. Oh its a young mans game jumping around in rough seas on little boats, you need to be fit, strong and supple.

Now I’m not that bothered about being unable to join the RNLI it was only a vague interest anyway, but I am a bit pissed off to think that a large organisation thinks’ I’m over the hill at 45

What say the rest of you old over 45 people?

I had the same thoughts when I volunterred at the ripe old age of 49 (and I believe that I was qualified to undertake the role...). It was explained to me, quite kindly, as expressed above that it was for my own good. He then went on to tell me that there were other positions that I could help out with so I took one of them - I suppose that it is a kind of self preservation motivation!!!

 

[mikefleetwood]

I had the same thoughts when I volunterred at the ripe old age of 49 (and I believe that I was qualified to undertake the role...). It was explained to me, quite kindly, as expressed above that it was for my own good. He then went on to tell me that there were other positions that I could help out with so I took one of them - I suppose that it is a kind of self preservation motivation!!!

As I said, no age limit for shore crew - and just as vital to the service as the guys (and gals) on the boat. Then, there's fund-raising and publicity, and....

Of course, if all you want is the glamour and kudos of being one of the heroes in the oilies and yellow wellies, and want to say to your grandchildren "yes, I was a lifeboat man" - then you should have done it when you were younger

 

[PhilW]

According to the last OPS circular the Max age For ILB is 55 and for ALB is 65 but it is subject to medical reviews.
There are alot of variables. Frequency of shouts, physical ablity of the individual, geographical location types of shout, etc.
Ps I'm retiring at 55 and blowing my pension on a big yacht and dancing ladies

 

[Boogaloo]

I would have said that was discriminatory, tell them you of a far off religion and maybe you'll get in that way.

 

[fien397]

So I was having a brew with my neighbour the other day (mooring not house) and we got chatting about the RNLI of which he has a lot to do with in my local area, he his some kind of leader or god type person within the organisation his exact title escapes me.
Anyway I was showing a vague interest in maybe joining and helping out after all I’m an ex-lifeguard I know my way round boats and have done first aid etc.

How old are you he asks, 47 i reply oh your to old 45 is the age limit.................. WHAT!!!!! HOW THE ***** THAT.......was my somewhat unbelievable cry. Oh its a young mans game jumping around in rough seas on little boats, you need to be fit, strong and supple.

Now I’m not that bothered about being unable to join the RNLI it was only a vague interest anyway, but I am a bit pissed off to think that a large organisation thinks’ I’m over the hill at 45, sorry 47 when i know i can probably outswim, out run, out bike, out chin and out dip the entire crew even if they are all younger than me.

What say the rest of you old over 45 people?

Well thats a very disappointing response from somebody within the institute, not to mention completely wrong. One of the contributing factors for the very recent age limit change from 50 to 55 was the constant struggle to find mid-week daytime availability. So by moving the goalposts, it enables those with maybe a bit more time on their hands to get involved. You can in fact get involved, afloat until your 50-65 depending on the class of vessel, and carry on to 70 as shore crew. Id be interested to hear what role this person holds at your local station.

 

[Neil_Y]

Crazy if it's true, at 52 I still sail a 14, if that doesn't need fitness and agility I don't know what does. They should have a fitness and agility test though as that is more important than age.

 

[nortada]

Crazy if it's true, at 52 I still sail a 14, if that doesn't need fitness and agility I don't know what does. They should have a fitness and agility test though as that is more important than age.

Just heard that a railway worker has been suspended for saving a wheel-chair bound lady who had fallen on the track.

In the sadly litigious society we live in, if a rescue involving an elderly lifeboat person when wrong could this form the grounds for a claim against the RNLI

 

[[70521]]

I've not renewed my membership of the RNLI this year are am totally fed up with the way they are publising the work they do! More than happy to put cash in the box at the local station.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Just heard that a railway worker has been suspended for saving a wheel-chair bound lady who had fallen on the track.

Not quite. He was suspended because he ignored the procedures for such events, the first of which is "STOP THE TRAINS", and thereby serious endangered the casualty, himself and three people he roped in to help.

 

[langstonelayabout]

I questioned a retired coxswain about this many years ago and he told me it was because the risk of serious back injury when bouncing from wave top to wave top increases to what they feel is an unacceptable level beyond that age

Yes, I've had an identical conversation with an ex-IRB RNLI Coxswain who gave me the same story. Oh, and coming back after x hours in ridiculous seas, bouncing from wave to wave for hours, needing to recover for days and needing to wear a kidney belt on bad days to prevent himself peeing blood for a few days after,

I'll stick to fundraising, a mate is happy with being a fundraiser and launch authority.