RNLI on the Thames

[tamise]

On Wednesday we watched the official launching of the lifeboats on the Thames from Tower Pier. There are to be four lifeboat stations:- Tower Pier, Chiswick Pier, Gravesend and Teddington. The first three will be manned continuously, the one at Teddington will be operated using volunteers.
This is the response to the Marchioness disaster in 1989. As we were late home I missed any TV coverage of the event - there was a posse of journalists and photographers- so don't know what TV reaction would have been. The one in the London Evening Standard was negative- " Marchioness families slam lifeboat delay" being the headline. However I'm sure the poor sod who jumped of a bridge on New Year's Eve after being dumped by his girlfriend was glad they were there- at least I hope he is!
Visually it was a good display as the fast Tiger boats zoomed up and under the raised arms of Tower Bridge, got some good photos. Though I'm not sure what the PLA would think - they do make a hell of a wash!!

 

[ChrisP]

Re: Sop to the press

Yet another government sop to the popular press.

The river police and fire brigade have preformed all the rescue duties in this area both before and after the Marchoness incedent. They have always been trained and equiped to deal with all forms of river incedent, from jumpers to drifting barges. Nobody ever looked at the opotunity to reverse the decline in thier abilities which were brought about through repeated government cutbacks. The RNLI will at best be able to rescue the jumpers and swimmers but when it comes to the big stuff their equipment will just not be man enough for the job. Ever tried to tow a 50 ton lighter on a spring ebb tide with an inflatable?

Just how much difference would a couple of inflatables have made to a situation where 2 large vessels are drifting not under command on an ebbing tide in an area between bridges in the dark. Answer none.

Only suitably equipped and manned patrol launches could even hope to cope with the situation and survive the danger of being trapped either by the casualties or being pushed onto a bridge buttress. And you'll note that it was the police launches that moved the steamer to the shore thereby saving most of the people on board.

Forget your wonderfull photo oppotunities and press coverage. Give the support to the people who have always had to cope with the darker side of the river rather than playing in wizzy little toys that wont last 5 minutes when subjected to the rigors of the working river life.

Just beacuse the system struggled once doesn't mean its a complete failure. Reinforce it rather than go off at an inferior tangent.

And before you ask I support the RNLI as much if not more than most but you must run the right horse on the right course and the river is a totally different animal to the sea where the RNLI excell.

 

[ParaHandy]

Cure the result not the cause

You did begin to wonder at the motives of each party involved in this. I truly and sincerely hope that your estimation of the position proves a miscalculation but doubt you'll be proved wrong.

 

[ChrisP]

Re: Cure the result not the cause

The proof of the situation is amply apparent when you look at the state of the upper non-tidal thames. We have now gone fron a professionally trained force of police officers and EA personel to a pooly equipped part time fire service who are lacking in local knowledge.

The proof of This came when a child was trapped in a submerged car at Shepperton approx 1 year ago. The fire brigade launched in the wrong location and upon arrival at the scene approx 1 hour later their engine packed up never to run again that evening. The EA inspector tried to direct operations from the bank because there was no boatman due to overtime cutbacks. This ment that the search and rescue exercise was carried out by 2 private boats each with a fireman huddled in the back relying on the boat owners skill because they hadn't a clue what to do. The the police divers who arrived approx 2 hours after the event and now in total darkness and driving rain were able to locate the car almost exactly where the river inspector and the boats had estimated its position.

The condition of the child goes without saying.

I have worked on numerous search and rescue exercises and this one was the grossest example of miss management and under resorcing I have ever encountered.

I truly hope I am prooved wrong but it is my opinion that this RNLI force will be used as an excuse to further deplete the resources on the Thames division police force on the lower Thames thus loosing the most highly trained, dedicated and experienced floating police and rescue force in the country, possibly in the world. This is what happens when a failed cabin boy takes charge of transport and the most dangerous natural feature in the south of England.

Cost efficiency and political spin do not make for safe rivers.

Should our mag's "reporter with a different approach" realy want to tackle a subject and make a difference. Here's one to get going on. But be very carefull how much you bite off because this is the realm of the true professional buck passer. Politicians.

 

[Guest]

RNLI on the tidal Thames

This whole topic is depressing and the forum messages are so right. This is a political move. I have here the full Marchioness reports. The facts exhaustively set out show the the Thames Police did a skilled job in rescuing all who were found in the water. No one else would have been saved. The reason for the big loss of life was that the Marchioness went virtually straight down carrying all those people with her. No RNLI lifeboat would have saved a single extra person.
The comments on this whole matter in the London Evening Standard are disgraceful. It is a trash paper.
Even the RNLI directorate stated the other day 'the government wanted us to station craft on the tidal Thames'.

 

[Bergman]

Re: RNLI on the tidal Thames

The RNLI are independant of Government I thought

So why did they go along with this?

Are these boats financed by RNLI voluntary contributions or subsidised by government.

All sounds very odd to me

 

[byron]

This is a total waste of RNLI funds. The PLA boats are staffed by Watermen with a minimum of a two year ticket. the Police have recently updated many of their craft. Both organisations run experienced and capable units that are on constant patrol. All the RNLI have done is installed a service which will give the powers that be an excuse to reduce Police presence on the River. I am appalled.

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[tamise]

Chatting to one of the Lifeboatmen, he said that the Police were pleased to have the new service. However I didn't find a policeman to confirm this.
I suppose they are grateful to have more manpower on the river, but if the RNLI are simply duplicating the same roles, this could in the end be more confusing. who would have the ultimate say in directing an incident?
The other point is , of course, who is paying for this - lots of salaries to come out of RNLI funding.
I'm not convince the RNLI service is necessary, but on the other hand if we have a problem whilst going tidal, I'm sure I'll be very grateful they are there.

 

[JohnR]

The River Police have always done a good job and I can't understand what the RNLI are playing at, apart from wasting money. I saw on TV a government minister getting in on the act, what he was doing is anybody's guess since the RNLI are meant to take no money from Whitehall.

I bet this means that the River Police will be cut back.

Why doesn't the RNLI invest in helicopters now that the coastal services are being cut back?