Two swift launches for Fleetwood RNLI help people ashore and afloat

The lifeboat station’s first page came at approximately 1.10pm, in which the volunteer crew were tasked to provide cover to Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service as they recovered an individual who had fallen from the quay onto mud below. The casualty was recovered to land and delivered into the care of the North West Ambulance Service without need for further lifeboat assistance.

The crew were then paged again at 2.25pm in response to a request from HM Coastguard to assist a boat in difficulty that had run out of fuel in the Fleetwood Channel. Upon assessing the vessel and prevailing tidal conditions, the lifeboat helm decided that the safest course of action was to take the vessel under tow and return it to Fleetwood Harbour, as it was unable to return to shore unaided.

Fleetwood RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, Tony Cowell, said: ‘A busy afternoon for us showed off the flexibility and range of skills that make RNLI volunteer crews so special, but what matters most is that everyone came home safely.’

Notes to editors

• Fleetwood’s RNLI Inshore Lifeboat is named HARBET and is a D-Class boat.

• Photo credit: RNLI/ Robert Baines

• The RNLI is supported entirely through voluntary donations, and Fleetwood lifeboat station has been operating since 1859. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: http://fleetwoodlifeboat.org.uk/

RNLI media contacts

For more information please contact David Devereux, Fleetwood RNLI Press Officer, on 07591 675733 / [email protected] or Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, Regional Communications Manager on 07977 728315 / [email protected].

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 142,700 lives.

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Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.