Behind the scenes of RNLI's life-saving work in Lyme Regis

The charity marked the day by announcing it has saved 146,277 lives over two centuries, with more than 1,000 lives being saved in west Dorset since 1824.

READ MORE: Lyme Regis lifeboat station celebrates RNLI 200 anniversary

In celebration of this milestone, the crew at the RNLI Lyme Regis Lifeboat station took the News behind the scenes, where they discussed the crucial roles amongst the team and its impact on the community. 

There are about 40 volunteers at the lifeboat station. Half of those will be seafaring who would have undergone intensive training - which can take up to two years.

Other roles within the team include the tractor drivers, who are in charge of launching and recovering lifeboats. 

The Launch Authority contributes to operational activities to ensure the boats are ready for launch at any given moment.

They must also make the decision whether to commit four lives in a boat to rescue someone else.

According to Nick Marks, Lifeboat Operations Manager, it is important for these authorities to distance themselves from the incident to make detached and informed decisions about whether to launch.   

“The decision on whether to launch cannot be made by someone in a boat.

"When the red mist comes down everyone wants to dash off and go to sea. However, someone needs to stand back and go, “is this what we really should be doing?”, “are the weather conditions right?”

The Lyme Regis station covers Beer Head to Portland Bill – an area of approximately 500 square miles.

Each boat will be occupied by four crew members and can carry up to 20 casualties.

Direction-finding systems are installed into the boats and each vehicle is well-equipped to see in the rain and dark, as well as being able to home in on to any distress beacon.

The crew has an average response time of seven minutes, from when that initial alarm goes off to the boat going on the slipway.

As such it is mandatory that the volunteers live close to the lifeboat station to be ready to leave at the drop of a hat.

Each member’s commitment and hard work doesn’t go unnoticed as the station has received many donations over the years from thankful members of the community.

This includes two pairs of powerful binoculars which were donated by Sarah Askins in memory of her brother Andrew, who was lost at sea on June 12, 1995. His body was found by Lyme Regis RNLI volunteers in later months.

Mindful of the potential stress many of the crew experience when attending traumatic or distressing call outs, the RNLI launched a Trauma Risk Management System in 2016 where a counsellor becomes available if an incident has been reported as potentially traumatic for the volunteers.

Mr Marks shared how there is a strong sense of rapport in the workplace encouraging open conversations about mental health, particularly whenever a potentially difficult incident arises.

“All of the crew are very supportive of each other. If there’s ever been a nasty incident the crew will talk it through amongst themselves, discussing what they saw and what they felt.

“It’s the talking which is the important thing. You never really get used to it, the trauma, but you learn how to deal with it. The RNLI is more aware of trauma now than it was probably ten or 15 years ago.”

When asked why he began to volunteer with the RNLI, he shared how he wanted to pay something back to his hometown that has meant so much to him over the years.

“I’ve been around sea my entire life always been aware of the RNLI and the good work that they’ve done. So, when I retired it seemed like a good opportunity to give something back to the community.”