1I never really planned to be a lifeboat volunteer when I came to live in Northsea.
2I'd been working in London as a website designer,
3but although that was interesting, I didn't like city life.
4I'd been really keen on boats as a teenager,
5and I thought if I went to live by the sea.
6I might be able to pursue that interest a bit more in my free time.
7Then I found that the Lifeboat Institution was looking for volunteers,
8so I decided to apply.
9The Lifeboat Institution building here in Northsea's hard to miss,
10it's one of the largest in the country.
11It was built 15 years ago with funds provided by a generous member of the public who'd lived here all her life.
12As the Lifeboat Institution is a charity that relies on that kind of donation,
13rather than funding provided by the government,
14that was a huge help to us.
15When I applied, I had to have a health assessment.
16The doctors were particularly interested in my vision.
17I used to be short-sighted,
18so I'd had to wear glasses,
19but I'd had laser eye surgery two years earlier so that was okay.
20They gave me tests for colour blindness
21and they thought I might have a problem there,
22but it turned out I was okay.
23When the coastguard gets an alert,
24all the volunteers are contacted and rush to the lifeboat station.
25Our target's to get there in five minutes,
26then we try to get the boat off the dock and out to sea in another six to eight minutes.
27Our team's proud that we usually achieve that.
28The average time across the country's 8.5 minutes.
29I've recently qualified as what's called a 'helmsman',
30which means I have the ultimate responsibility for the lifeboat.
31I have to check that the equipment we use is in working order,
32the crew have special life jackets that can support up to four people in the water.
33And it's ultimately my decision whether it's safe to launch the boat.
34But it's very rare not to launch it, even in the worst weather.
35As well as going out on the lifeboat, my work involves other things too.
36A lot of people underestimate how quickly conditions can change at sea,
37so I speak to youth groups and sailing clubs in the area
38about the sorts of problems that sailors and swimmers can have if the weather suddenly gets bad.
39We also have a lot of volunteers who organise activities to raise money for us,
40and we couldn't manage without them.
41The training we get is a continuous process,
42focusing on technical competence and safe handling techniques,
43and it's given me the confidence to deal with extreme situations without panicking.
44I was glad I'd done a first aid course before I started,
45as that's a big help with the casualty care activities we do.
46We've done a lot on how to deal with ropes and tie knots,
47that's an essential skill.
48After a year, I did a one-week residential course, led by specialists.
49They had a wave-tank where they could create extreme weather conditions,
50so we could get experience of what to do if the boat turned over in a storm at night, for example.
51Since I started, I've had to deal with a range of emergency situations.
52But the work's hugely motivating.
53It's not just about saving lives.
54I've learned a lot about the technology involved.
55My background in IT's been useful here,
56and I can use my expertise to help other volunteers.
57They're a great group, we're like a family really,
58which helps when you're dragging yourself out of bed on a cold stormy night.
59But actually, it's the colder months that can be the most rewarding time.
60That's when the incidents tend to be more serious,
61and you realise that you can make a huge difference to the outcome.
62So if any of you listeners are interested....