Launch equipment training
Launching a lifeboat is a vital link in saving lives at sea. Operators of launch and recovery equipment often have to push the lifeboat out in raging seas and the dark - so their role is important to the safety of the crew and those they are trying to save.
The training covers every aspect of launching a lifeboat safely and drivers are trained how to safely operate three main launch tractors:
The 19 tonne Talus MB-H Crawler (below) which launches the Mersey class lifeboat.
The 9.5 tonne Talus MB-4H Hydrostatic centre-steered tractor (below) which launches rigid inflatable B class lifeboats.
The 7.3 tonne Talus MB764 Ford County tractor (below) which also launches B class lifeboats.
The facility also covers 4x4 Toyota Hilux / Landrover and Honda ATV quad bike courses for RNLI lifeguards.
Operators attending these courses range from dedicated tractor drivers to Coxswains from the all weather lifeboat stations. The base also runs machinery courses for station mechanics and lifeguard personnel operating 4x4 or ATV quads.
For the main types of heavy tractors listed above, the base runs one-week residential courses, with the emphasis on safety. Every year around 90 operators are taught how to operate in deep water, how to ascend and descend slopes and how to operate with or without the carriage in confined areas. At the end of the course attendees sit a Health and Safety test and are put through a skills test on the tractor.
For the 19 tonne tracked MB-H Crawler attendees are able to take the DSA / DVLA (Driving Standards Agency) H category test so that they have the correct category on their licence. Successful candiates receive a certificate, accredited by LANTRA the governing body for safety in the Plant and Agricultural Industry. The certificate also carries the OPERC (Off-Highways Plant And Equipment Research Centre) logo.
A further 200 RNLI lifeguards are instructed in the safe use of ATV quad bikes and 4x4 Toyota Hilux every year at the facility. Again, the emphasis is on safety and lifeguards are taught how to operate their vehicles safely in the beach environment. They are also taught how to free the vehicle should it become stuck.
Graham Eaves, Machinery Training Instructor, says: 'The RNLI can provide a million pound lifeboat and highly trainined crew but, if the tractor or the tractor operator fails, the lifeboat cannot launch. So tractor drivers are the first link in saving lives at sea... they are our unsung heroes.'