Are you over 18?
Do you live or work in Sidmouth and can be part of a team on
call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week,
365 days a year?
Do you have a desire to give aid to those in distress? Then
read on
.
There are several key areas of operation in the Sidmouth
Lifeboat Service. As outlined below, not only do we need crew for the lifeboat,
we also need a range of support personnel to be able to launch and recover the
lifeboat, perform maintainence on the lifeboat and ensure that we are trained up
to the highest standards of today.
Probationer
6 weeks simply observing the crew at work and introduction to our crew,
lifeboat and launch tractor and trailer,
launch and recovery of the lifeboat various equipment on the boat and in the
boathouse and familiarisation with
the Lifeboat operating procedures. Join in with some basic training; seamanship
skills, knots, chart work, radio,
first aid etc.
Crew training takes place every Tuesday (6:30pm) and every other Sunday
(8:00am) at the boathouse and at sea.
Once you have passed the probationary period, and you decide to proceed with
training and join the crew (subject
to approval of the Senior Coxswain and Operations Committee) you will continue
to attain Shorecrew status.
Shorecrew
Introduction and requirements of our Health & Safety Policy.
Introduction to your Crew-Rep
Shorecrew duties during callouts, coastal recognition, VHF radio, further
chart
work, first aid, launch and recovery of lifeboat, refuelling and returning
lifeboat to ready state.
Courses: Basic First Aid, VHF Radio and Pyrotechnics certificate.
Familiarise with operation procedures, training and maintenance.
When Shorecrew training module is all signed off, you will be welcomed as a
qualified member of Sidmouth
Lifeboat, receive a pager and key to the boathouse and can fully assist with
callouts.
Tractor driver
Tractor driver training is specialised. By the time you finish Shorecrew
training you will know if training to be
one of our tractor drivers is right for you.
Boat Crew
Sea survival training, all operation procedures, further navigation and
radio, advanced first aid, boat and casualty
handling, use and maintenance of lifeboat, rig and equipment
Courses: Sea survival, Powerboat level 2, First Aid Oxygen, Entonox,
Airways and Defibrillator.
Senior Crew
Safety boat certificate. Advanced Navigation and Radar and/or Advanced
Powerboat training
If adequate competency is achieved, training can continue to become helmsman
or even Coxswain.
Health & Fitness
Each crewmember must sign a declaration of suitable health and fitness. Boat
crew must show evidence of fitness, when
aged 45 medicals are required. Boat crew retire when 50. If you are already 45
you will not be viable to train for boat crew.
Appraisal.
Each member is appraised annually, training requirements identified and role
within the organisation discussed.
Specialised roles
Many crew members wear extra hats: Maintenance, Crew Rep, and the Officers who
fill the Operations Management
Committee; Senior Cox, Second Cox, Senior Tractor Driver, Training Officer,
Health & Safety Officer, Equipment
Officer, Duty Launch Officer and so on. A role like this might be right for you.
Crew Meetings
If the Crew Rep has identified problems or matters requiring discussion he will
call a meeting for all crewmembers to have the opportunity to have a say.
We are all volunteers, unpaid, and donate large amounts of our
spare and working time to Sidmouth Lifeboat.
Crew
training takes place every Tuesday ( 6:30 p.m. ) and every other Sunday ( 8:00
a.m. ) at the boathouse and at sea.
If
you are interested in joining the crew, then please complete a Crewmember
Application Form and return to the Lifeboat Station at
The Lifeboat Station, The
Esplanade, Sidmouth, Devon, England.
EX10 8BE
Tel 01395 514903
