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someone in difficulty in the water.
Andy Volans, Water Safety Advisor, Scarborough
RNLI, commented: “RNLI Water safety is a vital part of our saving lives at sea mission. It is a pleasure to carry out youth education sessions to teach young people water safety such as how to ‘Float to Live’.
If they get in trouble in the water, it is critical they remember to: Lean back, extend your arms and legs and control your breathing. Then call for help. By learning this vital skill and sharing this with friends and family – it could one day save their life.”
The second part of the programme saw the cadets visit the Scarborough RNLI station on Friday 19 April 2024. It began with a talk from David Greives, Launch Authority, Scarborough RNLI. David is also a retired RAF Officer and he shared some of his experience from his RAF service, along with emphasising the benefits of being part of a youth organisation such as the RAF Air Cadets. The next part of the evening was a chat about the RNLI Lifeguards which highlighted what they do and how to become one, as it could be a positive progression to consider after their air cadet service. Part three of the evening saw Andy Volans explain about co-ordinating a tasking including
how a navigation chart is used during a search and rescue mission. This was followed by a tour of the crew changing room, showing the cadets the various PPE lifeboat crew wear when onboard the two lifeboats. The final part of the evening was a tour
of the boat house. The cadets were able to see the
It was such an eye-opening privilege
to visit the Scarborough RNLI station
all-weather lifeboat, the inshore lifeboat, Tooltrak and the Shannon Launch and Recovery System (SLARS) up close. Andy Volans provided a detailed and interesting talk about the vessels and shore vehicles including highlighting some of the lifesaving equipment onboard the vessels. There was also an element of STEM education during the tour of the SLARS.
Flight Lieutenant Sue Balmford said, ‘It’s been a fascinating programme provided by the Scarborough RNLI Water safety team and is important to remember the shared heritage between the RAF
and RNLI, particularly in the year of the RNLI’s 200th anniversary. We wanted to provide the cadets with some water safety education by the RNLI as
it is critical to their well-being living in a coastal community such as Scarborough. It was such an eye-opening privilege to visit the Scarborough RNLI station. May we take this opportunity to thank Scarborough RNLI for allowing us to visit and for their dedication to saving lives at sea’.
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