I found this on a different forum that someone had copied from an American book
" If you are in danger at sea off the coast of the UK and the Republic of Ireland, your life may depend on the local village librarian, auto mechanic, butcher, sheep farmer or weekend sailor. But don't worry, you'll be in very good hands indeed: Your rescue crew will be members of the RNLI. They are some of the best trained and highly motivated lifesavers in the world, equipped with state-of-the-art rescue vessels like the Severn-Class all weather lifeboat.
The RNLI is a volunteer service that has been responsible for saving lives along Britain and Ireland's coastline for over 175 years.
When a vessel is in trouble, the coastguard calls the nearest lifeboat station. The volunteer crew is alerted with pagers. They instantly drop whatever they are doing and rush to the lifeboat station. Here they quickly change into survival suits and board the waiting lifeboat. At some stations the boats are kept in docks, while others can be launched down ramps. The crews strap themselves into the water-tight cabins and the boats head out to sea.
The entire RNLI system is supported by public donation. The volunteer crews serve together for many years in their own home waters. This strong team spirit and local experience, combined with intense, nationally standardized training and the best equipment, create one of the greatest maritime rescue services in the world"