Keeping the crew warm
Keeping the crew warm - Dart Lifeboat
How the crew keep warm and dry when on a shout
What have a woolly bear, a Gecko helmet and a yellow dry suit got in common? They are all part of the Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of the RNLI volunteer lifeboat crew.
Gone are the days when a “shout” meant the crew throwing on oilskins, sou’westers and boots before manning the lifeboat and getting very wet in the process. The RNLI have developed an excellent range of clothing to protect the crew after years of careful research and many trials.
Nowadays, when the pagers go off the available crew head for the lifeboat station. They strip off to their underwear and pull on the “woolly bear” - a blue all-in-one thermal under-fleece which works by trapping air between the fine fibres on the inside of the suit.
This is followed by a yellow Typhoon dry suit, with integral steel toe capped yellow boots and each crew member has a numbered suit to fit his particular foot size. The heavy duty diagonal zip across the chest has to be completely closed and if not done up properly water seeps in.
The dry suits have tight rubber waterproof seals at neck and wrist and if the collars become very uncomfortable the crew give them a good dusting of talcum powder. In the summer crew members become very hot in the two layers but the water can still be cold so that the extra warmth is essential for them to do their job safely.
Red lifejackets go on top of the dry suits and these have 200/150N buoyancy which is enough to support them and the casualty with a facility to inflate manually if a crew is in trouble in the water.
As well as a light, whistle and flare pouch there is a built in lanyard useful for a variety of activities, such as throwing a line to a casualty in the water, or even as a lead for a rescued dog.
The easily recognisable white helmets with RNLI logo are made by a Cornish company, Gecko, and one size fits all with internal inflatable cusions to enable adjustment to the head size of each individual.
Bob Thomas, Dart boathouse manager, is responsible for ensuring all the kit is in good repair. D Class lifeboat equipment is different from all weather lifeboat kit as they carry out different tasks and Bob said the first part to wear out is the knee area of the dry suits as the crew have to travel in the lifeboat on their knees.
If equipment needs to be repaired Bob sends it to the RNLI HQ in Poole. It is part of the RNLI ethos for the volunteers to have the best safety equipment available, with PPE fit for the purpose for which it is required. The long years of research and trials to provide the best possible equipment have paid off and Bob said: “The kit is now as good as it comes.”
First Published September 2011 By The Dart