Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)

[1938 Observer]

RNLI History


The RNLI has saved more than 139,000 lives since its foundation in 1824. Through the years, there have been countless stories of courage against a background of technological developments and social change.

The charity was founded, with royal patronage, as the National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck after an appeal made by Sir William Hillary. Hillary lived in Douglas on the Isle of Man, and had witnessed the wrecking of dozens of ships from his home.

The name was changed to the Royal National Lifeboat Institution in 1854, and cork lifejackets were first issued to crew members in the same year.

In 1891, the first RNLI street collection was held in Manchester. The 20th century saw the RNLI continue to save lives through two world wars. The lifeboats moved from sail and oar power to petrol and diesel, and the first women joined their crews.

Recent years have seen some major developments, with the introduction of RNLI lifeguards in 2001, and the first lifeboat station on an inland waterway, also in 2001.

Read more about key events in the RNLI’s lifesaving history in our interactive timeline or in our downloadable factsheet.

The RNLI Heritage Trust preserves the history of the RNLI by caring for its collections and archives that tell the story of the service since 1824.

http://www.rnli.org.uk/who_we_are/rnli_history

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RNLI lifeboat launch in rough sea

RNLI: Severn class lifeboat

Short clip of the Severn class all weather lifeboat at sea. The Severn class lifeboat was introduced in 1995 and shares the same hull shape as the Trent class. It carries a powered Y boat that can be launched and recovered by a lightweight crane to enable rescues close to shore. Its propellers are protected so it can take ground without damage.

[1938 Observer]

Re: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI)

News and Gossip
Royal National Lifeboat Association in Scotland recruits its youngest member

Source..............Scotland on TV 30 September 2010, 19:36
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Interest from young people in volunteering with the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has dwindled in recent years due to the amount of paperwork required for children to join and the health and safety regulations and disclosures needed for them to work with adults. As a result of this, most people who volunteer with the charity are in their 40s and 50s, and with volunteers retiring by the age of 55, there has been concern that the RNLI will be left without members in the future.

To tackle this problem in Scotland, a youth training scheme – Future Crew – was set up to train young people aged between 14 and 16 years old in the hope that they will continue to volunteer with the RNLI for many years. 17-year-old Louise Graham from Inverness was the first graduate of the training scheme and applied to join the crew of the RNLI in Loch Ness in March 2010:

“I’m officially the youngest RNLI member in the entire country,” Louise said. “I have to have my pager with me all the time, and if it goes off I have to drop everything and get to the boat as quickly as possible.

“There are 11 of us in the crew at Loch Ness and every Thursday at 7pm we try our best to get to the station for training. There’s no exam to get into the RNLI but you’re constantly training so you can work as a team. The hardest thing is slow speed manoeuvres in the boat. I just can’t get the knack of that.”

As well as being the newest station in Scotland, Loch Ness is also the only inland station in the country. There are 13 operational crew members – nine men and four women - which is one of the highest male to female crew ratios in the RNLI.

Martin Douglas, who has been with the Loch Ness station since 2008, said: “We make sure that the candidates are fit and able and then we provide them with the skills and training. Initially, they are called a ‘dry member’ and once the commitment is proven, they are enrolled into the RNLI.”

Initial training takes place at The Lifeboat College in Poole, Dorset. Crew members take part in training throughout their time with the RNLI and sit a competency test every six months. Those who are over the age of 50 receive additional annual medical checks to prove that they are fit and well.

Louise said: “I never thought that I would eventually pass all the training to be an RNLI crew member and be in the papers and on telly. I had my RNLI interview on my 17th birthday. One day I was a 16-year-old practicing life saving, and the next week I was signed up as a crew member. It’s surreal.”
Watch video at the STV link below

http://programmes.stv.tv/the-hour/ne...ungest-member/