Aibu to think that RNLI shouldn't launch.....

[AJPTaylor]

I live in East Sussex. Yesterday our local lifeboat launched in the middle of the worst storm in years for a feckin idiot surfer who chose to throw himself into the sea in search of a thrill.
You have probably seen the footage of the lifeboat being thrown on it's side at launch.
Or should there be a feckin idiot surcharge?

We shouldn't be dismissive of their courage No you are right and I accept that I worded that wrongly and I know paramedics and other services put themselves in danger, but generally not when a drunk driver wraps his (it usually is a he) car around a tree, which was the example used.

The surfer situation is similar to the twits who go walking in the mountains of Scotland when the weather forecast is bad and don't kit themselves out, and then the mountain rescue people have to put themselves in danger too to go and find them.

I do think the odd high fine would concentrate some minds.

Yes surfing is a lawful activity but there was an amber weather warning.

I have the utmost respect and admiration for the RNLI.

I think the issue of people entering the water recklessly needs to be addressed as its own issue. People just don't respect the sea as they should. You've only to step onto a beach in summer to sea that.

I do think they should of rescued him but at the same time I hope the person they rescued makes a huge donation.
They were stupid to try surf in that weather and I hope they got a major bollocking.

I think the RNLI are best placed to decide whether they go out and rescue someone or deem it too dangerous.

Yes, instinct says fine the idiots. But where do you draw the boundaries (orange warning, yellow warning, slightly iffy weather?) and with what consequences? You'll probably still have idiots going out, but they might not ask for rescue when they need it. Most rescuers I know are not happy about clueless folk going out in terrible weather, but would rather rescue an idiot than be searching for a body.

So it was two lifeboats and a helicopter for this moron?

Some lifeboats also have paid crew.

They don't have time to make judgement calls. It's very much a get kitted up and go situation.

Was the surfer an idiot? Absolutely 100%. Is it the first time someone had underestimated the sea? No.

We are lucky to have our brave RNLI volunteers and ultimately it's their decision whether to launch or not.
They must have risk assessed the situation and thought they had a chance of making it back alive. I wouldnt have blamed them if they had refused to launch though.
The Cox is responsible for the lives of his crew, what a responsibility to have.
Also it is nothing like calling out an ambulance, paramedics are not routinely placed in situations where their own lives are in danger to this extent.

I like the idea of an Idiot Surcharge. A really big one.

name & shame but rescue

Ambulance driver probably isn't in danger and gets paid to deal with idiots.

A paramedic attending an incident on a country road in the middle of a snowy winters in danger.

They don't get paid to deal with idiots. They get paid (not very much in the grand scheme of things) to treat those who are critically ill.

As volunteers, the RNLI staff could say 'actually, fuck that. The weathers shite.'
A paramedic can't say that.

Well if it’s an emergency call you could get all services out. My niece is a firefighter and says that they are often first on the scene. They don’t get to choose what to attend. She has been out to the most stupid and selfish incidents and had to do horribly dangerous things to rescue people or retrieve bodies.

The lifeboat crew won't have recklessly been putting their own lives at danger. There will always be a small element of risk but if trey thought they was an actual risk to their own lives they wouldn't have gone out.

They know what they are doing.

Wow, that piece of film is just extraordinary. I remember seeing one of the Saving Lives at Sea programmes where they launched into the surf and the front of the boat was continually being pushed up at a frightening angle, but this was even worse. Total respect for the people who do that voluntarily.

As for leaving idiots to drown - the trouble is that most of their calls are for someone who has done something stupid, at what point do we draw the line?

People underestimate the sea all the time, especially if they have little experience and the day looks set to be calm and clear. That absolute idiot chose to throw himself into the sea on a day people were being advised not to out in their cars unless it was necessary. That’s not underestimating, that’s Darwin Award territory.

However the RNLI we right to go out. Their job isn’t to sit in judgment on people in danger and sort the valid cases from the idiots, they are there to save lives, even stupid ones. I hope they gave him a serious talking to after though.

Perhaps a shift on a lifeboat would make them think differently.

This is a great idea! I really hope the surfer has learnt an important lesson here and will either make a donation or offer his time to the organisation.

So do you think they shouldn't send an ambulance for a drink driver who's hit a tree?

Not the same.

The lifeboat crews (volunteers) are putting their own lives on the line.

How would you feel if your (idiot) relative died because a bystander didn't call the emergency services to rescue him in case it landed him with a fine?

It's bloody frustrating (understatement) to have to rescue these fools, but better that than their lives be lost.

As an aside, how amazing was that lifeboat? Many others would have capsized. But the Shannon righted itself in the roughest of seas. It demonstrates how the investment the RNLI make in their boats and other equipment help protect their volunteers, Best in the world.

@SchadenfreudePersonified see my later comment of an ambulance on a country lane on a winter night.
That's a paramedic putting their life on the line for an idiot too. If

How would you feel if your (idiot) relative died because a bystander didn't call the emergency services to rescue him in case it landed him with a fine?

It would depend. If my relative went out in reasonable conditions and something unexpected happened and no one attempted to get help, I'd be upset. If my idiot relative went out on a surfboard while severe weather warnings were in place and he ended up drowning I'd say he was an idiot and it was his own damn fault.

I don't think it's the same as an ambulance attending a drunk driver, as a PP has said the crew aren't in immediate danger necessarily. The lifeboat crew made up of volunteers who did it alongside their careers were put into danger saving someone who should have had the common sense to not go out onto the water in that, he made that decision for his own amusements. However it's almost impossible to draw a line so they did the right thing, but hopefully people will think more in the future FFS.

One could say the same about people who decide to go for a nice stroll in Snowdonia or up Ben Nevis in winter and then need the services of Mountain Rescue. Personally I think they should be presented with a hefty invoice.

@SchadenfreudePersonified see my later comment of an ambulance on a country lane on a winter night.
That's a paramedic putting their life on the line for an idiot too.

Quite frankly, I think the surfer should be paraded through the streets in his board shorts with people donating to the RNLI for the privilege of lobbing custard pies at him for his stupidity.

Here - take my money! Public humiliation is also probably the only thing that will make these stupid sods think twice.

People don’t seem to understand how dangerous the sea is.

Unpredictable and incredibly powerful!

I would hope the dolt tried to raise awareness of the danger of the sea and maybe does some volunteer work with them

Court enforced idiot surcharge great idea. Recoup those costs. Entirely preventable and the twat chose to flout official advice. Make him pay.