eoin asked... If you live in Ireland do you have to go to the lifeboat college to train as a crew member? RNLI answers...The majority of training of lifeboat crew members takes place at the lifeboat stations, where they train for two years. However all our lifeboat crew have to go to the Lifeboat Colege in Poole for some part of their training as that is where we have the best facilities and equipment to train them. Matthew asked... Why do the crew members stay at the back of the boat when it launches instead of in the cabin? RNLI answers...The position of the crew when launching varies on station and the nature of the shout. On a slipway the crew would stay round the back of the boat as it is safer and also they won't block visibility. At some stations the crew may sit in the cabin on launch but this can depend on the weather conditions. However, normally there are things that need to be made ready before they get to the rescue so it can save time to just stay outside. Lee asked... Will the RNLI ever build a lifeboat station in Nottingham along the River Trent? You could use ILBs. RNLI answers...As well as the lifeboat stations on the coast, the RNLI has lifeboat stations along the River Thames in London, Lough Derg in Ireland and Loch Ness in Scotland. We use inshore lifeboats at these stations, but we do not have any plans to have a lifeboat station on the River Trent. Jack asked... If you work on an all weather lifeboat do you get the choice of a dry suit or a waterproof suit? RNLI answers...It depends on the lifeboat and rescue the crew are going out on as to the clothes they would wear. If they are going on an all weather lifeboat this means they wear yellow waterproof trousers and jacket, yellow wellies, lifejacket and helmet. An inshore lifeboat crew would wear a drysuit (with yellow wellies attached), lifejackets and a helmet. Optional items include gloves and woolly bears (thermal undersuits) for colder weather.

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Join in the festive fun at the RNLI Reindeer Runs!