The RNLI has been developing its policy of formal training for lifeboatmen since the early 1970s — Here Capt.

GEORGE COOPER RD, MNI, RNR, Deputy Chief of Operations, discusses the value of training with those who received gallantry medals at this year's AGM and finds out how it has helped them to develop their lifesaving skills.Captain George Cooper: Good morning gentlemen and congratulations on your well earned medals. We are gathered here to have a general discussion on training. You may not be prepared to admit it but you are regarded as experts in your own field and that expertise has been justly rewarded, by the medals presented yesterday.

Now because you are experts I would like to explore the argument—did you come into the RNLI with this expertise or is it something that has been developed over the years? And how much of your expertise can be attributed to training? To take you back a little it was in about 1972 or 1973 that the Institution started to look at formal training per se when we developed a radio telephony voice procedure course whichwas taken to the coast in a mobile training unit. That was very quickly followed by the mobile radar simulator and navigation courses.

We are also currently running Atlantic 21 courses at Cowes base, sea training courses for crews receiving new lifeboats at Poole and there are other local typesof training such as first aid and operational exercises going on all the time on the coast. I would like to start off with the subject of radio telephony and Coxswain Robert Maiden from Hartlepool.

Bob, has your crew received regular radio telephony training and how has it affected the overall performance of your radio operators? Coxswain Robert Maiden, Hartlepool: About 90 per cent of us have had radio telephony training. After the first training session it became a lot easier. When you first started to use the VHP talking to the coastguard, you used to become a bit tongue tied, but definitely the training was a good thing.

Cooper: Prior to receiving your RT training what form of RT procedure were you using? Maiden: One of the crew had been in the Royal Navy as a signals man and he had taken the lads through a rough course but that was the only training we had.

Cooper: Yes, and do you feel now that your standard of radio telephony procedure is equal to that of your local coastguard? Maiden: Yes, very much.

Cooper: Coxswain Stephen Shaw from Alderney. Do you find your RT procedure fits in with the rest of the SAR network?Coxswain Stephen Shaw, Alderney: I think it fits in very well. We have had another radio session since our initial training at Poole and I think 90 per cent of the crew have got their radio licences and their procedure is very good.

Cooper: Who do you communicate with generally in an SAR incident? Shaw: Either our local harbour authority for very local rescues or St Peter Port Radio or CROSSMA, the French coastguard.

Cooper: Are there any problems when you're communicating with the French? Shaw: No, they use English.

Cooper: Moving westward we have Helmsman John Pavitt, from Appledore.

John, how do you find communications in the west working from an Atlantic 21? Helmsman John Pavitt, Appledore: Very good. No problems at all.

Cooper: What sort of training have you had? Pavitt: I did a course, way back, in the caravan. As new crew come along it's a case of getting them familiar with the equipment. One tends to be a bit mike shy when you start using VHP. We try to put forward chaps on exercises who haven't used VHP and they can use the radio. We find this a great help to them.

Cooper: And how many of your crew at Appledore have received RT training? Pavitt: Nearly all.

Cooper: We have with us Helmsman Ian Stringer of Eastbourne. Ian you are here because of your splendid efforts in a D class inshore lifeboat. Are you a trained RT operator? Helmsman Ian Stringer, Eastbourne: Yes, I am. I took the course when the caravan came round to the station and we did MF and VHP.Cooper: Do you find that your standard of RT procedure and that of the rest of the inshore lifeboat crew is sufficient to meet the general SAR radio network requirement? Stringer: Yes, both of my other main crew members have done some training in VHP and are very competent.

Cooper: Right, we've also got Second Coxswain Martin Harwood of Alderney.

Martin, I take it you've received a similar type of training as Steve.Harwood: Yes, we have all completed radio telephony training and, because we were getting a new boat, quite a few of us did the radar course as well.

Because we are operating with our local radio operators at Alderney Radio, who we also know as friends, this helps to take away any inhibitions that the crew might have.

Cooper: Do you think the standard of RT training that we are currently giving is adequate? Maiden: Yes, definitely.

Cooper: Stephen, do you think we've got it right in bringing the training to you rather than you coming to us to receive it? Shaw: Absolutely, I think you would lose a lot of interest if some of the men had to go away from home for extended periods.

Cooper: Fine. So I think we can conclude that the RT package more or less meets the bill and I am sure we all agree that it is the most important dimension of the SAR organisation. Without good communications, most services would be that much more difficult. If we can go on now to radar training—and I appreciate that those who are operating the smaller lifeboats may not be familiar with radar—have you received any formal radar training Bob? Maiden: Not from the Institution, but I was sent by the Institution to do a RNLI course at the Merchant Navy College at South Shields on radar navigation and SAR. There were several coxwains onthe course and we were kept on the go all the time.

Cooper: How much time did you spend operating radar before you received the training? Maiden: Only when we were bringing our boat from Littlehampton.

Cooper: Steve, what radar training have you received? Shaw: Only on board training when we were in Poole and some previous experience.

Cooper: How many of your crew have had radar experience? Shaw: We have got two professional radar operators in the crew, one is ex merchant navy and the other is an air traffic controller.

Cooper: As a matter of policy do you tend to ensure that one of those two actually man the equipment? Shaw: It depends on the circumstances.

One of them in particular has very good local knowledge and if it is an inshore rescue at night if I can get him I put him on the radar.

Cooper: Going across to Martin, had you had any previous radar experience before becoming a crew member?Harwood: Very little—we had a go in the training unit when we did our initial training in Poole, which was very useful.

Also, the two experienced lads give us internal training.

Cooper: I think it is very important, this self help factor where you have an expert within your crew to exploit his knowledge.

Shaw: I think we have probably got four or five members of the crew who are now very competent on the radar.

Cooper: Good. That is very encouraging.

Now, coming to John who is here in his capacity as helmsman of the Appledore Atlantic 21 but is also the second coxswain of the Appledore lifeboat.

What radar training have you received so far? Pavitt: Our boat has had radar for some time. I did do a RNLI NAV/RAD/SAR course at the Plymouth polytechnic and I found that a great help. It has also helped in training other crew members. We have also had a visit by the radar caravan.

Cooper: Ian, have you had any radar experience?Stringer: Very limited.

Cooper: Do you hope to become a full-time member of the Eastbourne offshore lifeboat? Stringer: Yes, that is normally the way.

Cooper: You progress from the ILB to the lifeboat so if the radar caravan was to turn up at Eastbourne would you try to get on a course? Stringer: Yes.

Cooper: Fine. How many of you practise plotting during the course of a service? Maiden: Sometimes in the Waveney there's no one keen enough to drop down below if it's bad weather.

Cooper: But if needs must you have the ability to plot? Maiden: Oh, yes.

Cooper: So we have covered RT and radar and during the radar discussion we mentioned navigation. NAV/RAD/SAR courses are held at various nautical colleges around the country and the RT caravans have the capability of providing training in such things as DF and a limited amount of navigation instruction.

This is usually offered on request.

Maiden: We did have a visit from an instructor who conducted a course on navigation, DF, etc.

Cooper: Can we go on now to talk about the Atlantic 21 training. The formal training is carried out at Cowes base on the Isle of Wight. John, have you attended the course and how did you find it?Pavitt: Yes, I found it very good.

Several of our lads have attended. We had an Atlantic 21 before we went on the course so we were wise to what was going to happen. There were still a lotof points made which we found of value.

Cooper: As a percentage how many of your Atlantic 21 crew members have completed a Cowes Base type training? Pavitt: Fifty per cent I would think.

Cooper: Certainly all the helmsmen? Pavitt: Yes.

Cooper: Ian, your inshore lifeboat training would be mainly through regular exercises with the divisonal inspector and your own station exercises? Stringer: Yes, at the moment I am doing a lot of training—we have five new hands and we are off every week training them.

Cooper: Would you just give us a general outline of what sort of training you put them through? Stringer: Anchor drill is, I believe, the most important one for a D class boat.

It's such a small boat—it can't stand up to too much surf and that's what you rely a lot on, the anchor, to drop back in on.

Cooper: So this is anchoring and veering down? Stringer: Yes, the other thing is propeller changes where we launch from an open beach—we tend to go through a lot of props and to the west of us we have got a lot of rocks. We do things like putting the sea anchor over and getting used to sitting right out on the sponson changing the props. Also picking things up out of the water, man overboard and those sort of situations.

Cooper: I think it is fair to say that generally speaking the small D Class inshore lifeboat training is done at the station through the inspector and the senior crew members passing on their experience to the more junior ones.

Another aspect of local training which has been on the go for many years is first aid. It is a requirement for some crew members to be certificated first aiders and training is usually received at local St John Ambulance first aid courses. How many of you have done the first aid course? Ian, Steve, Bob and John, that's good. John, where did you do your first aid training? Pavitt: I attended a course with the St John Ambulance.

Cooper: What about yourself, Bob? Maiden: We did it with St John Ambulance.

I think just about every man in the crew has his first aid badge.

Cooper: I take it then that you feel it is part of a lifeboatman's qualifications that he should be a first aider? Maiden: Quite definitely.

Cooper: Do you think the first aid training you use which is mainly, may I suggest, shore orientated, is suitable for the lifeboat environment or do you think there is a requirement to provide something further? Maiden: Yes, it could probably do with being a little bit more lifeboat orientated.

Cooper: Steve, what is your experience in first aid? Shaw: Well, St John Ambulance run a yearly course on Alderney and we have eight first aiders on the crew. Going back to your question about first aid on a lifeboat, in my experience it is different to that taught by St John. I am not quite sure how they would change it.Cooper: How often do you attend courses, Steve? Shaw: I have done it every three years but four of the crew are attending them yearly.

Cooper: First aid does tend to be an ever-changing thing and what was in vogue last year may not be in vogue this year so it is important to try and keep up to date. John, what first aid training have you done? Pavitt: St John Ambulance and the Red Cross.

Cooper: Ian? Stringer: Well, one of the courses is run by a crew member who is a leading ambulance man—he does the St John course and our doctors are also very keen and examine us. Ninety per cent of both crews have first aid certificates.

Cooper: This year the Institution's annual medical exercise will be held off Whitstable, involving Sheerness, Whitstable, Margate and Southend lifeboat stations (see page 192). Next year it will be held off Dublin, so that will give the Irish stations a chance to participate.

I would like now to open the discussion on a much broader basis and talk about the value of exercises from a training point of view. Bob, would you like to kick off and tell us your thoughts on exercises and how valuable they are to ensure that the crews are kept trained and up to date.

Maiden: We have the two boats which we exercise regularly—the Atlantic 21 and the Waveney. When some of the lads came back from the course at the Isle of Wight there was quite a marked difference in the handling of the boat.

Cooper: When you take your crews out on exercise what sort of routines do you run? Maiden: Well, just about everything.

Towing the big boat with the Atlantic 21, manoeuvring alongside at speed, stretcher drill, breeches buoy, just about everything from the two boats.

Cooper: So, you really carry out the same procedures as if the inspector was on board? Maiden: Yes.

Cooper: Do you think the exercises are held often enough to keep the men fully trained? Maiden: It is definitely a better idea to hold them monthly. When we had to hold them every six weeks, if you were called out on a service between exercises, some of the lads who did not goPortland come over regularly and stay on the island and we know them very well.

Cooper: Martin, as second in command of the Alderney lifeboat, have you had sufficient helicopter training to handle most given situations? Harwood: Yes, obviously Steve and I share the load a bit. We have recently had a couple of exercises with fixed wing aircraft.

Pavitt: We have Chivenor just across the water from us and I can see the problems from both sides, the helicopter side and the lifeboat side. I was involved with the helicopters when I worked for the Ministry of Defence. I have about 1000 flying hours with search and rescue helicopters. Nearly 60 per cent of that was working with lifeboats.

Cooper: So you really are a helicopter expert from the point of view of winching, etc and a good example of being the right man in the right place. Ian, where do you get helicopters from to exercise at Eastbourne? Stringer: Mansion or Lee-on-Solent.

Normally Mansion.

Cooper: Well it has been a very interesling conversalion and it's nice to know how you all approach the problems of Iraining. I would like, very briefly, lo give you a sitrep of what the fulure holds. You may or may nol know lhal we have now a purpose buill Iraining school al Poole where we run sea Iraining courses for crews receiving new lifeboals, consisling of 50 per cenl sea training and 50 per cenl classroom training.

The extended passage to slalion afler Iraining is completed is under the command of the inspector or his deputy and is parl of the training package. When the boal arrives al slalion those who did nol have Ihe opportunity to take part in the initial training have the opportunity of doing a further extended passage.

Also at Poole we have designed and run a prototype course for boats officers —this course will cater for newly appointed second coxswains. The training will be of an advanced nature, concenlrating on search pattern techniques, modern electronic equipment, duties and responsibilities of Ihe on-sccne commander, elc. This is going to become a standard course for new boats officers.

We have also designed a short introduclory course for station honorary secretaries (see page 193) to allow honorary secretaries an opporlunily of meeling Ihe people Ihey deal wilh al Head Office on a day-lo-day basis and lo oblain a good understanding of Ihe operalional managemenl of a lifeboal station.

We are currently working on a firsl aid course, Ihe aim of which will be lo provide crews wilh Iraining in casuallyhandling in a lifeboal environment. This package will be taken to the coast in the mobile training unils as is RT and radar training at present. The course is the brainchild of Dr Bill Guild, a member of the Medical and Survival and Boat Commillees. Dr Guild ran a prololype course for inspeclors a few monlhs ago over two weekends at Edinburgh University and the inspeclors were convinced lhal this was something lhal should be taken to Ihe coasl.In conclusion, genllemen, we have looked al the Iraining that is currently on offer, discussed the pros and cons of radar training, NAV/RAD/SAR training, Atlanlic 21 Iraining, sea Iraining al Poole, your local firsl aid Iraining and Ihe benefils of your own and inspeclor's lifeboal Iraining exercises in respecl of Iraining, we have discussed your roles as inslructors and we have discussed something of the fulure. The Iraining deparlmenl al Poole is growing rapidly —Ihe Iraining requiremenl is large and we accepl lhal il is our responsibility lo see lhal crews are kepi up lo date and can fully exploit all Ihe equipmenl Ihey are provided wilh. However, in imposing Ihe disciplines lhal come wilh Iraining we are very conscious lhal it is pulling greal demands on your lime over and above lhat which you already give on operational services.

I think you will all accepl thai Ihere has lo be Iraining. Are we on Ihe righl Irack or have you any olher suggeslions lhal should be considered? Pavitt: I Ihink you are on the right track, going to Ihe slalions where you possibly can.

Shaw: Yes, you are going lo gel a greater number of crew using your facilities if you lake Ihe facililies loIhem. If they have all got to go to Poole, for various reasons a lot of them won't be able lo make it.

Cooper: II is nol very often you change a lifeboat, so a sea training course is a one-off event which we find thai everyone bends over backwards to try to atlend. We are aware thai Ihe crews at local stalions are vying with each other to gel on lhal parlicular course. The boats officers' course we feel should be done at Poole because we wanl lo get boats officers togelher colleclively, where Ihey can receive advanced Iraining—I don't think Ihere is any allernalive lo that, otherwise we would be Irying lo run fairly sophisticated courses for single people at various stations, which would prove somewhat expensive, to say the least.

I am conscious of the demands on your time and if there are any olher ways in which we can reduce our demands, please lei us know. The lasl Ihing we want lo do is lo go down Ihe training road, producing all sorts of courses which we Ihink you need and, al the final analysis, end up wilh crews saying "I am sorry I have gol to get out because I cannol meel the Iraining commitment". We haven't reached lhal slage yel, have we? Stringer: No.

Pavitt: I think for the boats officers' course it is a good Ihing that you all get logelher because Ihere is a lol lo be learned jusl by listening lo olher people's ideas of how Ihey handle parlicular incidenls. There is a lol lo be learned chalting amongst yourselves.

Harwood: Mosl of Ihe crew don'l mind giving up as much lime as Ihey possibly can, so long as il is nol wasted.

Shaw: I was jusl wondering whelher or nol il would be worlhwhile if one had lo do a 12-monlhly or whatever exercise wilh a flank slation.

Cooper: It is a good thing to gel logelher occasionally and do bear in mind lhal you have your divisional inspeclors who can organise such evenls. In our experience nolhing bul good can come of it.

Now that we have a training deparlment, if you have any particular Iraining problems, please pul them to your divisional inspector, through your station honorary secretary so thai Ihey can be fed back lo Ihe Iraining officer and be looked at.

It may be possible to give you some ad hoc training to meet your own particular requirements. So, bear in mind the departmenl exisls, don'l hesilale lo make use of it. Please remember, headquarters staff are there lo serve you.

Thank you, genllemen, for allending this discussion. It has been a very useful exercise..