As the Lifeboat went to print, RNLI rescue data for 2008 were announced.

Every one of the charity’s lifeboat stations and lifeguard units routinely reports its operational activities to Headquarters, where the Service Information section processes and analyses the data. The Lifeboat reports lifeboat launches by station each quarter (see page 40) and detailed statistics for all operational and preventative work are released annually.

Headline figures for 2008 are as follows: RNLI lifeboats launched 8,293 times, rescuing 7,612 people, including saving 288 lives that would otherwise have certainly been lost, while RNLI lifeguards were involved in 9,536 incidents, providing first aid to 7,153 people and saving 49 lives.

You can find out figures for your area of the UK and RoI by looking at the accompanying RNLI Compass