To become a fully competent lifesaver, crew members need to develop a wide range of skills. The RNLI has developed a Competence Based Training system that helps crew members acquire these skills and maintain them through lifeboat station exercise sessions and courses. Courses can take place at the lifeboat station or The Lifeboat College at Poole, Dorset. Rather than 'passing' exams, crew members need to show that they are competent at practical tasks that will help them save lives at sea while keeping safe themselves.

No crew member will have to attempt every single area of competence but there are some skills that all volunteers will need.

Dave Shepherd, RNLI Training Inspector, explains: 'All crew members have a set of mandatory skills to learn, such as getting kitted up, knowing their way around the lifeboat and using onboard controls and equipment. This training is an important foundation for every volunteer, whatever role they go on to have on the lifeboat.'The training system covers the following areas: 1 Operation of a lifeboat station 2 Personal competencies 3 Launch and recovery of a lifeboat and boarding boat 4 Boat handling and seamanship 5 Search and rescue operations 6 Radio communications 7 Operate and maintain navigation equipment 8 First aid 9 Lifeboat propulsion and auxiliary systems 10 Planned maintenance 11 Fault diagnosis and rectificationAll crew members, whether they will be aboard an all weather or inshore lifeboat, need to show competence in the following areas: Personal competencies Crew members who complete this training will have shown they can get kitted up properly, communicate well with other personnel and use equipment such as fire extinguishers, lifejackets and flares. They will also be familiar with a lifeboat's layout and know what to do if the lifeboat capsizes.

Launch and recovery of a lifeboat and boarding boat All crew members need to show they can respond to a pager alert quickly, safely and without breaking traffic laws. They are also required to assist in the launch and recovery of a lifeboat - including washing her down and preparing her for relaunch.

Boat handling and seamanship Skills needed by crew members while at sea include maintaining a proper lookout, helping with anchor and towing operations, tying knots and mooring and berthing. Crew members should also be able to control the lifeboat, steer a course and carry out helicopter transfers.

First aid The first aid activity area features a unit that all crew members must complete: elementary first aid. This includes raising the alarm, putting the casualty into recovery and resuscitation positions, carrying out cardiac massage, dealing with bleeding and managing shock.

Lifeboat propulsion and auxiliary systems This activity area includes a unit on operating lifeboat machinery, which is useful to all crew members. They need to be able to identify the propulsion system, deal with oil or overheating problems and know the correct procedure for opening the engine room door or outboard engine cover at sea.

IN TOUCH AND ON COURSE Inshore lifeboats tend to have a crew of three rather than the crew of six found on all weather lifeboats. Inshore lifeboat crew therefore need to be able to navigate or use the radio while the helmsman controls the lifeboat. As a result, they are asked to complete tasks in the following areas in addition to those already mentioned: Radio communications All inshore lifeboat crew members need to be able to transmit and receive communications by VHP radio while the all weather lifeboat crew may specialise in this later.

Navigation equipment Inshore lifeboat crew members need to know how to plot courses and casualty positions accurately.

Each crew member has a task book that lists all the areas of competence they need to complete. The book is signed off by assessors as a crew member demonstrates competence in each area, but it doesn't end there. 'Our training is not like an academic exam system - volunteers need to show time and time again that they have the skills and knowledge so that they maintain their competence in each area,' says Dave Shepherd. Dates for reassessment are therefore set for people who do show competence - they need to demonstrate later that they have not forgotten their skills. 'We do get new joiners that already have some appropriate qualifications, and the competence based training system does recognise that. However, if they got the qualification some time ago they may need to be reassessed.' Some crew members will go on to specialise in certain roles on a lifeboat, such as inshore lifeboat helmsman, lifeboat mechanic or coxswain. Such roles require specialist training and the crew member will need to show they are competent in the appropriate areas. For instance, a lifeboat mechanic will be assessed on tasks in the 'fault diagnosis and rectification' category. (See future editions of the Lifeboat and the spring 2006 issue of Offshore News for more on the training of specialised crew members.) Such specialist and regular training is as costly as it is essential, hence the launch of the Train one, save many' campaign in 2005, which aims to raise £10M or €14M over five years for crew training.n Roberts llfracombe, Dt Alan is believed to be the RNLI's only crew member who is a tattooist by trade. He became a fully fledged crew member in February 2006 when his probationary period came to an end.

'I am trained to crew the inshore and all weather lifeboats. I had very little sea experience before I started as I used to live inland. I started on the shore crew, helping to launch the lifeboats. It looked like there was going to be a lifeboat crew shortage so I put my name forward. I joined in September 2004.

'I spend a lot of time with the crew and lifeboat. If you are not sure about something you can just ask and they will tell you.

I've learned that it's always better to ask.

'When I began I learned all about the equipment and found my way around the boat. I also learned about radio communication. I think a good crew member has to have an interest in what they are doing and good communication skills.

'I was very impressed with The Lifeboat College when I did my inshore lifeboat training. Everything was there on the same site: the survival pool, the classrooms, the accommodation.

That all helps.' hn Connor Portpatrick, Dumfries and Galloway John, a chef, has taken all the training he needs to become an all weather lifeboat crew member, having completed the sea survival training course at The Lifeboat College, Poole, in February 2006.

'The task book was a bit daunting at first but I realised it was really quite a good system. Learning how to do things on the boat was fine, as you get shown a few times how to do something, and then you start doing it yourself as a routine. If I'm not sure then Robert Erskine, our Coxswain, always shows me how to do it.

'I knew a little bit about boats before I joined - mooring up and so on. I want to be able to do a bit of everything on the lifeboat. I have done some navigation. We were practising man overboard exercises one day and I had to take the coordinates so we could go back and search in the area that the person went overboard.

'I have made it to the station a few times when the pager has gone off but not been picked for the lifeboat yet. I live about a mile from the station - it's a few minutes' run down the road.

I'm looking forward to putting the training into practice.'.