Saving Lives at Sea RNLI

[William_H]

Here in oz we have had a series on TV (SBS Mon) called Saving Lives at Sea of actual camera footage of rescues. Now I am in awe of the courage of these people willing to go out in the most horrible weather to rescue people. As I am in awe of our own volunteer sea rescue people. I could not cope with the terrible motion for long periods of a small RIB in rough water. I have however been involved in operating and training for our club rescue/ support boats. A 6m ali with 150HP, a 5m ali with 75HP and a 6m RIB with 75Hp. Resulting in occasional pick up of injured sailors and lots of tow home capsized dinghies. I know you must think carefully about how to go about a rescue or tow. I try to get crews to think about scenarios and discuss.
Any way every time I watch this show I say to myself "I would not do it that way". So raining like heck here (that is good) I will waffle on....
The facilities for launching and boats seem to be perfect. However it often seemed to me after finding casualties that actual recovery was dodgy.
For our club RIB I made up out of old sail a recovery sheet. Called parbuckling for cargo. It had one end attached to the floor of the RIB. The triangular sheet has ropes on other 2 corners. The sheet is sunk under the casualty and 2 people pulling the corners can very easily roll the person/body up and over the side of the RIB. (horizontal). So much easier than RNLI method of grabbing the victim and pulling.
So often they just held out a hand over the side to get the victim to grab the hand. Far better on first contact is to heave a (floating) rope to the victim so he an pull himself alongside or crew can pull him. All depending on his condition of course. Other useful device I have never seen used on the show is a boat hook. The kind I have. have a plastic hook on the end. Easy for victim to grab to pull him in or if necessary you can use the hook to hopefully snag his life jacket or clothing to pull him in.
Last nights show featured 2 rescues. One a keel boat stuck on sand bank outside the harbour on a falling tide. Laying over at 45 degrees with waves hitting high side of the boat. RNLI arrive with big RIB twin o/b engines. Decided to take off the crew of yacht. They found on approaching from leeward side that motors were hitting bottom. He raised the motors a bit and made 4 swoops in to take of 4 crew one at a time. Coxswain was very skilled at manipulating throttles /helm to get he RIB in close.
Now it seemed to me a far better approach would be to heave a line to yacht and pull the RIB in to the yacht (motors up out of harm) so that crew could climb on to RIB safely. Then drop back with the waves until motors could be lowered. Coxswain seemed obsessed with his control of the situation with brute horsepower when far better ways possible.
Now a good man with proper heaving line can throw a long way. But I do wonder what happened to line throwing rockets. Are they still available?
Second rescue had 3 people with kayaks Washed up on a beach below a cliff with rough surf and tide rising to soon cover beach. Bravely a newby crew lady jumped in the water from a small RNLI RIB just outside breaking surf. She swam ashore and checked out the casualties. Another helper swam in and the plan was to walk the injured casualty out through the surf to the RIB. Inevitably the 2 rescuers one each side of casualty were knocked over by the breaking waves. Eventually they go the injured casualty then other 2 and finally rescuers back on the RIB.
Now on some rescues they have used an anchor on the RIB (call it veering) to locate and control the position of the RIB. I think this is an excellent way especially for these rescues from shore. You need a lot of anchor rode and could really benefit by an electric winch to haul in long rode. I would have done that in this rescue holding the RIB just outside breaking shore waves.
I would never let a person get in water without a tether line to RIB. The line could have enabled the swimmer rescuer to get ashore with line. This could be used to pull in buoyancy vests for casualties if they need them or first aid gear. The line could then be used to tow the casualties out through the surf. Make it long enough that one end can stay ashore for next casualty.
Now any surfer knows that the only way to get through a breaking wave is to swim head first through or under the breaking wave. You can not just hope to stand up against it. The poor lady was devastated that she thought she did not have enough strength to hold the casualty against the wave. But no one could it was a bad technique.
Lots of long rope is your friend in a rescue. Ask flood rescue experts.
The other thing that struck me in this show is that obviously hypothermia is a major killer in UK waters. When they got a very cold casualty on board they did not seem to focus on getting him warm. Yes occasionally you see a space blanket wrapped around them. I wonder they don't have electric heated gloves and socks perhaps hot water bottle from 12v water heater or thermos flask. No I am not familiar with best practice re warming up casualty except I think you do not give hot drinks and warm them up slowly.
So often at our club I have been dismayed to see an injured casualty just taken on board and driven as fast as possible to shore helpers who administer first aid. Despite the fact that boat crew get first aid training and have FA kit on board. Just a few thoughts on an interesting subject. ol'will

 

[Daverw]

I think the RNLI having been doing what they do for a very long time and training for crew is quite comprehensive, it’s also probably tailored to UK conditions with very local knowledge by the crews. I’m not sure what we see on saving lives at sea can tell the whole story, Seeing the beach launch and recovery of the newer jet powered kit is quite amazing to watch, never seen these on the show though.

 

[vyv_cox]

I think the RNLI having been doing what they do for a very long time .....

But might that indicate a reluctance, or at least ignorance, of newer ideas? With a strongly-manned boat I suspect the 'grab hands' method of recovery is more efficient and certainly less complex than a parbuckle but I do agree about crew swimming around untethered. This is common to many rescues.

 

[ylop]

Its interesting to watch these things from the comfort of our armchair and pontificate about what we might do differently. I don't for one minute think that RNLI crew are infallible but I do remember that the show is for TV and if the editor showed only situations which went perfectly and with no dramatic sensationism it would be poor TV. From an RNLI perspective it probably would be less attractive as a fundraising tool and might make people feel complacent about how quick and good a rescue will be if needed.

I've done my fair share of club dinghy rescue duties and we've never needed parbuckles etc to get anyone back on board. With a well rehearsed crew and plenty of muscle its almost certainly slower to use equipment rather than brute force. If the casualty is bobbing in a buoyancy aid and you are nowhere near hazards etc then equipment might bring advantage (like protecting your elderly volunteer's backs [RNLI RIB crews are all <45 IIRC]). I almost always recover casualties facing away from the boat, and have only occasionally seen the rnli do that. Whilst I'm convinced its both physically easier and prevents them grabbing the wheel/throttle/hair/life jacket firing mechanism etc I think for an inexperienced casualty in a panic it may be difficult to communicate with them and tell them what you want over wind/waves/screams/engines etc. The situation with a club member in a safety rather than rescue situation is slightly different and they quickly learn how to be helpful.

The RNLI do use boat hooks, you'll certainly see them used on the AWBs. They sometimes using throw lines too - but they require a bit of skill, someone at the other end to know what to do with it (a lot of their casualties aren't trained in any way) and in high wind etc comms to the casualty can be very hard. It will be difficult to assess a casualty from a distance and know if they have the strength to pull themselves along a line, or to tie a line and be pulled in. In some cases they will be so close to the edge that wasting time finding out costs lives, or the change in adrenaline levels from being rescued causes post-rescue collapse before they are even on the boat.

Now it seemed to me a far better approach would be to heave a line to yacht and pull the RIB in to the yacht (motors up out of harm) so that crew could climb on to RIB safely. Then drop back with the waves until motors could be lowered. Coxswain seemed obsessed with his control of the situation with brute horsepower when far better ways possible.

Is it better to keep control of the rib, or effectively temporarily disable the rib to make the transfer easier. Those are big boats to pull around in the sort of conditions where people need rescued. Get it wrong and you end up with the RIB stuck too. And who is coming to rescue them?

But I do wonder what happened to line throwing rockets. Are they still available?

yes you can still get them. I'm not sure if they carry them - if they do I suspect it will be AWB only - they take up a lot of space.

I would never let a person get in water without a tether line to RIB. The line could have enabled the swimmer rescuer to get ashore with line. This could be used to pull in buoyancy vests for casualties if they need them or first aid gear. The line could then be used to tow the casualties out through the surf. Make it long enough that one end can stay ashore for next casualty.

A rib with a swimmer on a tether is no longer a RIB - its not a drifting object unable to use all its horsepower to get out of any issue. I do think a lot of RNLI crew quite like to go for a swim. I don't think having a tether is necessarily good for the swimmer or the boat - its another thing to get tangled, add draw to the swim etc. Do you tether rescue boat crew who go under a capsized dinghy to look for a casualty? I certainly wouldn't.

Ask flood rescue experts.

the RNLI has plenty of them too! What you have to bear in mind is there are volunteers - in 2022 most likely not from a professional marine background. They need to respond to whatever comes their way. They train for lots but the particularly circumstances of a real rescue are never quite the same as training. They gain experience but lots of their shouts are mundane - broken down boat needs a long tow, search for several hours and find nothing, etc. What you see on TV are the more interesting jobs - but that also means the ones where the individuals have the least relevant experience. If we want crew who are experts in every scenario they might find we need professional full-time crew, who train constantly. Bear in mind these aren't even the "best" people from that station they are the first 3 or 4 people who turn up and have the right mix of basic skills.

The other thing that struck me in this show is that obviously hypothermia is a major killer in UK waters. When they got a very cold casualty on board they did not seem to focus on getting him warm. Yes occasionally you see a space blanket wrapped around them. I wonder they don't have electric heated gloves and socks perhaps hot water bottle from 12v water heater or thermos flask. No I am not familiar with best practice re warming up casualty except I think you do not give hot drinks and warm them up slowly.

warming up slowly means exactly not using hot water bottles etc on extremities. That opens blood vessels sending cold blood shooting back to vital organs. Rewarming a casualty is very hard in an open rib. The distances ILBs will be from shore it will often be quicker to get them ashore to either an ambulance or the lifeboat station where wet clothes can be completely removed, dry clothes/blankets provided etc. They don't carry defibs on the ILBs either which means if the casualty condition declines they have little scope to respond. If they are going to arrest you want them off the boat before they do that.

So often at our club I have been dismayed to see an injured casualty just taken on board and driven as fast as possible to shore helpers who administer first aid. Despite the fact that boat crew get first aid training and have FA kit on board.

I've seen both extremes. People who could/should have had more care afloat and people who needed more professional help but safety boat crews faffed around "wasting time". As a general rule I'd say most dinghy safety boat crews are inadequately trained for their most important function! I often see one "competent" person helming the boat (who will have done a little first aid training perhaps 2+ yrs ago - but probably didn't practice CPR on the deck of a RIB travelling at 20 knots) and a "crew" who often has had no formal training. They may not even have experience using the radio to call for help. I've never heard of clubs running tourniquet training despite the prop v person risk; I've experienced some rather ropey large event briefings; I've not seen any club with a formal process for summoning expert help (I know of one club where a consultant anaethsetist was still out racing - unaware that one of his fellow competitors was in the clubhouse being treated for a heart attack until an air ambulance arrived!), nor do I know of any clubs that actually run practice scenarios outside of formal safety boat training: has your club tested: mass capsize protocol? missing participant search? Medical emergency in your most experienced rescue boat crew? trapped casualty (entangled trapeze)? epileptic seizure in the water? fire on rib? etc. For what its worth I believe most local coastguard and RNLI teams would actually be delighted to get involved in such an exercise with you.

Like I say, I'm not suggesting RNLI are always right, but I think the dinghy safety boat community is far from perfect and has less excuse because they deal with much more predictable and defined situations.

 

[Bilgediver]

I think the RNLI having been doing what they do for a very long time and training for crew is quite comprehensive, it’s also probably tailored to UK conditions with very local knowledge by the crews. I’m not sure what we see on saving lives at sea can tell the whole story, Seeing the beach launch and recovery of the newer jet powered kit is quite amazing to watch, never seen these on the show though.

There are videos of the Shannon class on Youtube and in one following a launch by tractor and trailer the boat launches and gets broadside in the surf. The cox waits for the right moments and gets the jets to suck the stern out pull off stern first, Most impressive.

 

[DangerousPirate]

The RNLI crew are, in a word; Heroes! Brave men doing tough jobs to save unlucky sobs (or completely reckless, clueless idiots at times though) and should get even more praise than they already get.

 

[KevinV]

The RNLI crew are, in a word; Heroes! Brave men doing tough jobs to save unlucky sobs (or completely reckless, clueless idiots at times though) and should get even more praise than they already get.

(and women)

 

[Juan Twothree]

There are videos of the Shannon class on Youtube and in one following a launch by tractor and trailer the boat launches and gets broadside in the surf. The cox waits for the right moments and gets the jets to suck the stern out pull off stern first, Most impressive.

That's a Mersey class, the predecessor to the Shannon.
He did well to get the boat off the beach, but the fact that it got there in the first place was a fairly major cock up.

 

[Juan Twothree]

Ylop has more or less nailed it in his reply to the OP, other than the fact that the maximum retirement age for all boat classes has now been raised to 65, with the exception of the D class which remains at 55.

To answer an earlier point, the trainers and policy makers at the RNLI college in Poole come from a wide range of boaty and SAR backgrounds, and aren't afraid to bring in new ideas for consideration.

 

[William_H]

Thanks to all especially YLOP for comments. Definitely not criticising RNLI just looking at all times for ways to do better with what you have in a rescue situation.
Regarding tether to a swimmer. I am minded of years back when every surf beach in Oz had a Surf Rescue club. On the beach was always a huge reel of light rope. Standard rescue involved puting a harness on a swimmer and he swims out to a person in distress. The crew feed out the line then haul them both in. Apparently a good idea. However now replaced by Jet Skis and small RIBs with o/b. I think they still have competitions for proficiency with the reel however.
Anotheer thing that surprised me was where in a small RIB and even worse for a swimmer with hand held radio they held it in their hand. Or hung it on a lanyard around the wrist.There must be better ways to carry/stow a HH such that you can hear it and even speak into it while having it mounted on body/shoulder. As per police radios. You need 2 hands available as far as possible.
Exchange of ideas is always good. ol'will

 

[MoodySabre]

The TV programme is made for general viewing and includes more than it fair share of dog rescues and kids on SUPs. The crews are often very brave and obviously well trained. I ran a MOB Recovery session with friends a few years ago and asked the local lifeboat if they could send anybody along for words of wisdom. The reply was that they didn't know anything about recovering to a yacht! I suppose local guys just recover to a RIB and grabbing and yanking are the quickest solution. They are also trained in putting crew in the water which we would avoid.

 

[Juan Twothree]

The TV programme is made for general viewing and includes more than it fair share of dog rescues and kids on SUPs.

The other factor is that for a rescue to get on the telly, the casualty has to agree to it. Even pixelating someone's face isn't really acceptable if there's any chance of the person being recognised. Hence footage of many challenging rescues never sees the light of day.

Also, it's the RNLI's policy not to publicise any rescue that results from attempted suicide or other self-harm, as unfortunately it often inspires others to do the same. Although one such rescue featured in the first series, it was only shown because the casualty was willing to talk about the mental health issues she was facing at the time, and it was felt that the programme would have a positive effect on others in the same position.

 

[ylop]

Anotheer thing that surprised me was where in a small RIB and even worse for a swimmer with hand held radio they held it in their hand. Or hung it on a lanyard around the wrist.There must be better ways to carry/stow a HH such that you can hear it and even speak into it while having it mounted on body/shoulder. As per police radios. You need 2 hands available as far as possible.
Exchange of ideas is always good. ol'will

I agree it does look like a bit of an afterthought. Possibly the idea of a stretchy cable (and the bits of a dry suit to attach fist mike and handset to) are things to get entangled or for panicky people to grab. Possibly the ability to easily pass between crew, perhaps more likely that a waist or thigh mounted (for that would be the logical place for the radio itself) may not work at all under the water - or they've discovered they aren't quite as waterproof as you'd hope if you do it every day. Or that by putting it on the leg the user (who may not be a regular VHF user) may be less likely to check channel (0 to CG, LB, Helo but 16 to casualty vessel)/sql/vol etc which might get knocked in the journey.

Or it could be a legacy from the days when HH VHF had to be in a waterproof bag to work at the other end. It seems unlikely that no station anywhere in the UK has experimented with other options. e.g. there's a big red float attached to the VHF even though there are floating h/h available. I believe that helps (1) avoid you missing it if you put it down (2) make it obvious at a glance that its the RNLI one rather than the casualties one. I'm pretty sure that the CG rescue teams who they work closely with use fist mikes so its not like nobody in the RNLI has seen its possible.

 

[Plum]

I agree it does look like a bit of an afterthought. Possibly the idea of a stretchy cable (and the bits of a dry suit to attach fist mike and handset to) are things to get entangled or for panicky people to grab. Possibly the ability to easily pass between crew, perhaps more likely that a waist or thigh mounted (for that would be the logical place for the radio itself) may not work at all under the water - or they've discovered they aren't quite as waterproof as you'd hope if you do it every day. Or that by putting it on the leg the user (who may not be a regular VHF user) may be less likely to check channel (0 to CG, LB, Helo but 16 to casualty vessel)/sql/vol etc which might get knocked in the journey.

Or it could be a legacy from the days when HH VHF had to be in a waterproof bag to work at the other end. It seems unlikely that no station anywhere in the UK has experimented with other options. e.g. there's a big red float attached to the VHF even though there are floating h/h available. I believe that helps (1) avoid you missing it if you put it down (2) make it obvious at a glance that its the RNLI one rather than the casualties one. I'm pretty sure that the CG rescue teams who they work closely with use fist mikes so its not like nobody in the RNLI has seen its possible.

Although some (UK) Coastguard Rescue Teams use a fist mic most do not. Like the RNLI, holding the HH vhf is simplest and best. It avoids loose cables to snag and it keeps the aerial high even if you end up in the water. Mounting the vhf on your body in a place where it will not hinder or get blocked by an inflating LJ will mean the aerial is not in a good position.

www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[vyv_cox]

On age limits: I have friend who was RIB lifeboat crew. He retired at about 45 I think as the pounding was giving him back trouble. 'A young man's job' were his words.