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The
crew of the Sidmouth Lifeboat are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
The crew are alerted via pager by HM Coastguard – Portland, when a
Lifeboat launch is required.
After
being paged the crew proceed to the Lifeboat Station where they don their
Personal Protective Equipment, consisting of thermal undersuit (If
required), drysuit, lifejacket, safety helmet and gloves.
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A crew
member contacts Portland Coastguard via telephone and receives the
incident details. These are recorded on a waterproof slate next to the
telephone and taken onboard the Lifeboat.
The
Coxswain, Crew & Tractor Driver prepare the Lifeboat for launch. The
Lifeboat is then taken along the Esplanade, to Clifton Walkway and down
onto Clifton Beach for launching.
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The
Lifeboat is reversed into the water and when deep enough for the Lifeboat
to float in the trailer, it drives out and proceeds to the incident.
The
engines of the Lifeboat are water cooled. They are started prior to water
entry, with cooling water being supplied from a water reservoir located in
the tractor ‘ Dozer Blade’. When the Lifeboat leaves the trailer, the
cooling water hoses are automatically disconnected.
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The
tyres of the tractor are filled with water. This reduces buoyancy when the
tractor is in the water and provides better traction for the tractor when
it is on the beach.
The
trailer can be lifted hydraulically, to enable the Lifeboat to pass over
ridges in the beach without damaging it. It also allows the Lifeboat
lifted onto the turntable so that the Lifeboat can be rotated ready for
it’s next launch.
The
‘Dozer Blade’ can be used to grade the beach, making launch &
recovery easier.
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Once
the Lifeboat has been launched, the tractor & trailer are recovered to
the beach, where they are rigged for recovery of the Lifeboat.
Two
stanchions are raised on the sides of the trailer and a net is fitted
between them. The tractor & trailer are then reversed into the water.
The tractor driver signals the Lifeboat that he is ready for recovery by
switching off the flashing lights on the tractor. The Lifeboat then drives
into the trailer and is ‘caught’ by the net.
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This is
a very quick and safe method of recovering the Lifeboat and saves
invaluable time when casualties are embarked.
Once in
the net, the trailer is raised using the hydraulics and the Lifeboat is
lifted from the water and recovered up the beach.
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To prepare the Lifeboat for service, it is necessary to remove it from
the trailer and turn it around. This is done by using a small turntable.
With the trailer in the raised position, the Lifeboat is reversed over
the turn table and once in position, the Lifeboat is lowered onto the
turn table.
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The
tractor then pulls forward and the Lifeboat is rotated by hand. The
tractor then reverses back and the trailer is then raised, lifting the
Lifeboat off of the turn table. The Lifeboat is then re-fuelled, washed
down with fresh water and any expended equipment replaced. The Lifeboat is
then “Ready For Service” and Portland Coastguard are informed.
The
Lifeboat is then reversed into the Lifeboat Station and connected to
battery chargers, ready for the next launch.
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