ILINER EXPLODES IN WORKINGTON HARBOUR - MANY FEARED DEAD, 100 INJURED 'Sirens blasted across Workington as black clouds of smoke rose above the town. Roads were blocked as ambulances and fire engines hurtled towards the docks, blue lights flashing. A liner had exploded, injuring many people. The blaze was under control and rescue services, including the lifeboat, were already helping shocked and injured passengers from the burning ship...' (West Cumbrian Evening News and Star, May 1996)ortunately none of these casualties needed hospital treatment as these were medical exercises, acted out test how lifeboat crews and other emergency services wouk react in a disaster situation.

Last year over 700 lifeboat launches were to incidents casualties who needed medical treatment. The types medical incidents lifeboats are called out to are many and varied and include heart attacks, hypothermia, seasickness, appendicitis, poisoning (stings), spinal injuries, burns and cuts.First aid is all part of the training that lifeboat crews receive and, in each lifeboat division, this includes a mini medex (medical training exercise) which is carried out once year. Often these exercises are so realistic that passers-by think they are a real emergency!3S The importance of these training exercises is often shown in real emergencie and one such example showed how closely the emergency services work together. In this particular rescue a lifeboat, Coastguard cliff rescue teams, police and ambulance were all involved. A 15-year old girl plunged 15 metres from a Torquay cliff top when she lost her footing and fell from the pathway onto the rocks below. Despite slipping the whole height of the cliff, the girl escaped with minor injuries and was discharged from hospital after treatment. Police, ambulance and Coastguard units mounted a full-scale emergency rescue, but the only way to get to her was by climbing over the headland from Meadfoot beach.WHY IT MATTERS weeks ago, a Fraserburgh boy of 13 was swept off eakwater by a huge wave. The rough sea was him against the wall and it took every ounce of lifeboat crew's seamanship to pluck him from the i was injured and unconscious, but the lifeboat crew to keep him alive until the ice arrived. But things were from well. In hospital, the ors were deeply concerned. The had been put on a life support ae. He stayed there, fighting his life, his parents at his faces of the Fraserburgh at crew were glum when they the news. Had their efforts i In vain? Then word came that youngster was improving. The faces at the lifeboat station brightened. The usual banter resumed. On the following Saturday the boy was well enough to go along to the station with his grateful parents to say thank you to the crew who saved his life.

There was heartfelt emotion in the handshakes that were exchanged. The boy's parents handed over a generous donation to the RNLI. But how can you adequately say thanks for saving the life of your child? It was the look on the faces of the crew that said it all. Their greatest reward was to see the young lad well on his way to recovery." (The Sunday Post, October 1993) ©B.C. Thomson &• Co. Ltd.

Without the training it could have all been so different.