We are delighted to announce we have been approved as a Declared Facility Search and Rescue Lifeboat operation by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA).
For over 50 years PLIRB has provided a rescue service in the Rye Bay area and beyond. More recently we have been made aware that we needed to be a Declared Facility, this means we would comply with the Rescue Boat Code of Practice and be officially recognised by the Maritime Coastguard Agency.
We had NO idea what being a Declared Facility meant. Or even that there was a Rescue Boat Code.
So we researched hard to learn what we need to do, which resulted in:
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- Reading 160 pages of the Rescue Boat Code to understand what it means. Feel free to read it here.
- A complete overhaul of our training, maintenance and reporting procedures – hundreds of hours spent writing Standard Operating Procedures, Training Manuals, Risk Assessments, Emergency Operations and a HUGE handbook.
- Investing significant sums in RYA training for crew and helms – even if they had years of experience.
It’s taken three years of hard work. We have had three assessments and a technical boat survey.
During this time we have still responded to 80 shouts. We are hugely proud of our achievement.
We are a small lifeboat on the far extremity of our HM Coastguard unit’s area. We’ve achieved this with inspiration from Hamble Lifeboat and Gosport And Fareham Inshore Rescue Service.
But it’s mostly due to our amazing team who have understood and embraced the need to change.
We thank and congratulate our brilliant team for this massively important achievement and recognition.
We are PROUD to be PLIRB.
We will always be here for our community, visitors and anyone in need of help off our coastline. Thank you for your truly wonderful support.
