A stitch in time...

could save a lifeboat from launching The RNLI has started an initiative to slow the seemingly inexorable increase in lifeboat launches - by working to prevent incidents occurring in the first place.

Mike Floyd looks at the task facing Sea Safety Liaison Officer Michael VlastoThe RNLI's traditional role has been as an organisation concerned entirely with search and rescue - and for almost 170 years it has responded to incidents as they have occurred. Yet there has been a growing realisation that prevention is always better than cure, and that the RNLI had built up a fund of experience and knowledge which could surely be of help in promoting safety at sea. Indeed there was already a precedent for a move into a preventative role, as the Institution had installed barometers at lifeboat stations in the last century so that fishermen could have access to the latest weather forecasting techniques available in the days before Shipping Forecasts and Michael Fish! The RNLF s role - under the terms of its charter - is the 'preservation of life from disaster at sea', and to help prevent a 'disaster' developing in the first place must surely be one of the most effective ways of doing this.

A review of the best statistics available showed that at least 100 lives were being lost at sea each year - despite the best efforts of the RNLI and other search and rescue organisations. A by-product of this review was the realisation that there were no accurate, cohesive statistics for water-related deaths. Various organisations kept their own statistics, in a way which was perfectly adequate for their own purposes. Predictably, different parameters applied and different details were recorded. This too seemed a fruitful field in which the RNLI's quite advanced computer database, expertise and years of experience could be applied, for if the reasons for this loss of life couldbe collated and analysed everyone would be in a better position to prevent them in the first place.

Over the years several bodies have been active in the sea safety role, and so the RNLI, while anxious to play its part, was determined that it should not be seen to be charging rough-shod into an arena in which others had been patiently working for some time. What it could see quite clearly at the outset was how it could work with all of them - each to a degree specialising in a particular aspect - and perhaps form the nucleus around which a major, combined effort could be formed.

Thus it was that just over a year ago the RNLI appointed a 'Sea Safety Liaison Officer' to oversee the Institution's role in this preventative work, and to discover what could be achieved by making the Institution's particular reserves of knowledge and ability available.

The man chosen for this demanding role was Michael Vlasto, an experienced ex-merchant navy officer who had already served for 19 years at the Institution's 'sharp end', first as divisional inspector of lifeboats in Scotland, Wales and the North West, and then as the RNLI's training officer. As abonus he is not inexperienced in the ways of small boats and yachts.

Talking to Michael one begins to realise the enormity of the task he has taken on, to be aware of the patience and tact he has and his commitment to 'getting it right'.So, where in this vast arena does he start? There are more than 6,000 lifeboat launches a year and the spread of casualties is huge, from a stranded swimmer, through blown-away inflatables, medivacs, yachts and fishing vessels in distress to commercial calls where hundreds of people are involved.

Michael knows he cannot tackle everything at once and has chosen to start with pleasure boats - which at almost 60% of lifeboat calls is the largest single section of the 'market'.

However the first step was to explore links with other bodies, and then for all concerned to form first a loose-knit coalition and then, finally, a more formal group.

By the end of 1994 this group was a reality, bringing together a multitude of talents under the umbrella title of the 'Sea Safety Liaison Working Group.' Most aspects of sea safety are now represented, and working alongside the RNLI are the Coastguard Agency (HMCG), who initiate and co-ordinate marine search and rescue and with whom the RNLI obviously already has a particularly close working relationship; the Royal Yachting Association (RYA), the governing body for sailing and motorboating; the Marine Safety Agency (MSA), with its responsibility for all aspects of marine safety; the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS), which provides lifeguard training and works to prevent loss of life through drowning; and the British Marine Industries Federation (BMIF), the trade body for boat and yacht builders in the UK.

A close liaison is also being forged with the equivalent organisations in the Republic of Ireland to ensure that the initiative reaches all parts of the coast of Britain and Ireland.

In addition to this formidable array close links have also been forged with other bodies with a vested interest in sea safety, including fishermen's federations, diving organisations and other watersports' governing bodies.

The first outside signs of this link-up was the introduction at the 1995 London International Boat Show of a new, free sea safety booklet, called 'Safety on the Sea'. For the first time ever the logos of the six main sea safety organisations appeared together inside the front cover, lending considerable weight to its practical contents. All six members are funding the project and distributing the booklet - which had an initial print run of some 250,000.

One of the major objectives of the initiative is to set up a national database for sea-related emergencies (to be known as SEAREM), because at present statistical data is held in various formats at different locations. A National Database Working Group has been set up so that it will be possible to collate the vast majority of incident statistics and produce definitive information from the present fragmented records.

Once this is analysed it should be possible to identify trends and causes more effectively, so that all of the organisations involved can target their resources where they will be most effective.

This improved information will also help the RNLI's continuous review of its lifeboat cover and ensure that the Institution reacts appropriately to changes in casualty patterns such as changes in fishing strategies, marina developments and so on.

Other projects under way at the moment include the production of videos on various topics - including first aid for yachtsmen, in conjunction with the RYA. This video will incorporate lessons learned by lifeboat crews carrying out first aid during services.

The use of Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacons (EPIRBs) and Search and Rescue Radar Transponders (SARTs) are being considered for future videos.

In the longer term it is intended to hold a series of local seminars, with a panel of representatives from the various organisations involved with sea safety, to promote better liaison, understanding and sea safety awareness among sea users.

The task is an enormous one, but the RNLI, and the other bodies involved, are confident that it will contribute to safety at sea right across the board - and who can doubt that prevention is indeed better than cure..