73 SPONSORED BY PREMIER NOSS ON DART


NEWS FROM THE RNLI LIFEBOAT TEAM IN DARTMOUTH L


ockdown has resulted in an incredibly low call out level for Dart RNLI. Whilst this is


good in one way, it is not so good in that we are not ‘out in the public eye’ as it were. So, for this month, I thought I would take you back behind the scenes of the Dart RNLI station. Most people will just think that


the crew are the guys who go out in the lifeboats to effect whatever rescue is required. But before this happens the coastguard must ask permission from the RNLI to deploy their assets. This happens through the Local Operations Manager (LOM), Mark Strudwick or one of his four Deputy Launch Authorities (DLAs). Each DLA gets up to six 24 hour shifts a month where they will respond to the pager. Their duty is to call the Coastguard when the pager goes off, find out what the ‘shout’ is, then decide whether to deploy the station’s assets. Meanwhile the helms and crew will be in readiness to go. The decision on what assets


to deploy is essentially based on several factors: Where is the shout and what is it? If it is right up the river near Totnes, then tide plays a big factor. Low tide means it is quite a tricky run for the boats, but around and at high tide, both boats can get upriver easily. If the casualty is 10 miles off the coast and the wind is above a force 5 (Beaufort Wind Scale), then we would probably ask our flank stations of Salcombe or Torbay to send their larger offshore all-


Tractor driver and shore crew deploy the D-Class it from its home in Coronation Park.


weather lifeboats rather than our smaller inshore boats. We also need to have a qualified helm to drive each boat and enough crew to go out with them – so sometimes we can only send one boat. If we want to send the D-Class (the smaller of the two), then we need a tractor driver and shore crew to deploy it from its home


“Anyone interested in joining the team as shore crew or DLA please get in touch with us”


in Coronation Park down to the Higher Ferry slip. After the DLA has called the Coastguard and made the decision on what assets to deploy, they then initiate the ‘shout’ via the crews’ pagers. The DLA will then make their way down to the Lifeboat Station, switch on the VHF radio, be in attendance to answer the phone, liaise with the shore crew and start the ‘paperwork’. This is all now done electronically and involves putting in as much about


the ‘shout’ as possible. Who, what, where, when, tide, wind, weather, crew deployed, timings and when it is all over he or she will phone the coastguard to let them know that they are back on service and ready for another ‘shout’. The DLA team are all on WhatsApp and can arrange cover between each other if the need arises. They have a choice of which days they prefer to do so that they can work it around their jobs. It is a post that just needs a little common sense and a knowledge of the river and the local coast. We are always looking for more DLA’s to share the workload. Shore crew are vital to the


operation. As already mentioned, the D-Class must be towed to the slipway for launching and this requires a tractor driver to drive Thomas, our ridiculously cute tractor, to launch and recover the lifeboat. A couple of other crew members are also required to act as ‘Banksmen’ to stop the traffic and guide the trailer from Coronation Park onto the slip. On very rare


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