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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

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

178 replies

AJPTaylor · 10/02/2020 08:26

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?

OP posts:
PortiaCastis · 10/02/2020 09:38

My NDN is a lifeboat volunteer as they all are and he wouldn't leave anyone to drown because his remit is to rescue, he may swear and be angry about an idiot risking their lives but he's volunteering to save people.

LakieLady · 10/02/2020 09:39

@FridgeOffal, I'm with you - when I saw the footage of that lifeboat practically on its side in the water, I felt really sick.

All our emergency services do amazingly brave things, but RNLI do them for no financial reward which is why I am especially in awe of them, and the mountain and cave rescue teams.

And the surfer was a twat.

scarbados · 10/02/2020 09:39

My best friend is a lifeboat crew member, my husband is shore (launch) crew and I volunteer with the RNLI.

There is no questionaire for anyone to complete before we iaunch. Where would it stop? Were you drunk when you decided to go for a 3am swim in the harbour? Do you own a lifejacket? Whey was it on the back of the kitchen door and not in your boat with you? Did you not realise that when the tide goes out, it can take kids in inflatables with it?

If people are in danger, we launch.

steppemum · 10/02/2020 09:43

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.

This is genius, and a wonderully appropriate punishment!

I don't think the lifeboat could have not launched. But I do think that there should be a way for the emergency services to fine them, a bit like being charged with wasting police time.
At the very least, a serious bollocking from someone senior

LimboLandisRubbish · 10/02/2020 09:47

they don't want anyone to hesitate before calling for help
But it wouldn't have been the idiot who called for help as he was too busy being tossed around in waves. It was probably a passer by.

He should be prosecuted.

Ilovemypantry · 10/02/2020 09:47

I thought exactly the same thing when I saw it on the news. What an absolute idiot...he should receive an invoice from the RNLI for the cost of the rescue. Perhaps he will think twice next time if he has to pay a hefty bill.

ShatnersWig · 10/02/2020 09:47

I do think that there should be a way for the emergency services to fine them, a bit like being charged with wasting police time

Yes, I think knobbers like this bloke should be charged with some form of offence for which a large fine is applicable but also that it has to be formally administered in a court so that their names can be reported on so everyone knows who the knobbers are.

NettleTea · 10/02/2020 09:51

my friend was on that lifeboat - he was just relieved that they found him.

hennyspennys · 10/02/2020 09:53

Perhaps they should have a set of stocks or a pillory on the sea front for idiots like him.

Grasspigeons · 10/02/2020 09:53

I feel angry about it too. Its not that you shouldnt rescue people who have made mistakes or been idiotic but you shouldnt put rescuers in severe danger of death. I am sure there are other rescue situations where very tough decisions are made about whether to risk a police officer or a fire service life or paramedics life. I can only presume because they were volunteers they volunteered and felt that risk was workable. But there comes a point where losing the life of the idiot and the whole rescue crew isnt sensible.

AlternativePerspective · 10/02/2020 09:53

they don't want anyone to hesitate before calling for help do we say that about the drink driver? “I don’t want to call the emergency services because then he might be charged with drink driving....”? Of course we don’t, so why is this any different?

If friends choose not to call for help then the onus is on them, and if he dies as a result then it’s their doing not the fine which he might have received....

The idea we shouldn’t fine someone for being such an idiot and endangering the lives of others is ludicrous.

frumpety · 10/02/2020 09:58

I think the footage shows just how amazing the boats that the RNLI use are and the skill and dedication of the people who crew them.
Hopefully the man whose idiocy warranted the crew being called out in the first place will be suitably embarrassed and make a significant donation and could perhaps do some fundraising for them ( liked the custard pie idea ! ).

Basecamp65 · 10/02/2020 10:00

Big slippery slope this --- where do you draw the line?

How do the emergency services know how much of an incident is due to stupidity or just an accident.

Of course emergency services should save everyone at the oint of need - no questions asked (except about risk to the teams at the moment)

But you would have to set up a huge process to determine who should and should not be charged and have an appeals process and this probably costs more than just saving them all in the first place

EnidBlyton · 10/02/2020 10:00

however the news report was in awe of the wind sailers in Dorset,
the filming was done in Dover, warning people to beware, yet the news were there filming
then they told the story of the wind sailer who got into trouble

double standards

PlumsGalore · 10/02/2020 10:01

Yes the idiot should be served but IMO they should be charged with something and have to do voluntary service in a position where they can see the impact of their idiocy.

I know it’s a simplistic response but that’s what I think Grin

Logfootlightoe · 10/02/2020 10:03

It's literally what they are for, to save lives. Even lives of people who knowingly out themselves at risk.

MedusasButterDish · 10/02/2020 10:04

Public discussions like this and others will probably be of the greatest help to rescue services.

Local news services have suffered enormously in recent years (not least because of loss of advertising income to Google AdWords - cheers Hmm), but maybe sea rescue/ shipping reports/ maritime doings could be a gripping new nucleus of content people would pay for. Smile

With regard to other content, Brexit shows that intra-community bonds need serious work, local government could do with more love/ scrutiny, etc.

Vanhi · 10/02/2020 10:08

At the time of launch you're in such a rush you have no idea if it's a genuine accident or something which can easily have been prevented. The lifeboat can't hold on until it's been determined whether or not they are "worthy" of being rescued.

This. I've called handled for an out of hours GP service. Under those circumstances you can make some decisions and GPs can decide whether or not the call warrants a visit. However, we sometimes got calls through which clearly should have been 999. At that point you're too busy getting an exact location and as much info as you can that helps the emergency services to then start on 'oh, by the way, how much of a twat have you been and is it your fault you need us?'

There's no saying where it ends either really. The key thing should be for the RNLI to decide themselves whether the risk to their lives is too great and they cannot go out. And as appealing as fines are, it will stop people calling them and unfortunately not the right people. An idiot selfish enough to surf yesterday isn't going to think 'oh if I get into trouble and call for help I risk a fine' they'll just go out anyway, especially if they're a spoiled rich kid. The people who will worry are those who have no money, who go out fairly blamelessly and but get caught out. It's why we got what should have been 999 calls for OOH. It was generally elderly people who 'didn't want to bother the NHS' but would phone up and say someone had stopped breathing and was turning blue.

Unfortunately, you just have to make it the same for everybody, and leave it to crews to assess the risk.

TheFaerieQueene · 10/02/2020 10:08

Whilst the surfer was a bloody fool and the RNLI are absolute heroes to go out in those conditions, I wouldn’t want to live in a society where someone can make an arbitrary decision on who was and wasn’t deemed worthy of saving. Some people don’t have the same ability to assess risk as others.

I do like @ChazsBrilliantAttitude’s idea. 🤣

Cremebrule · 10/02/2020 10:08

I felt very uncomfortable with the footage yesterday. In those sorts of rescues there must be a line where it is too dangerous for the volunteers. Had one of the boatmen died, there would have been some serious questions. It is difficult if you start assessing ‘worthiness’ but there must be a point where rescues do just become too risky.

screamingvalhalla · 10/02/2020 10:09

Another from East Sussex , the surfer should be charged with attempted manslaughter , he put the lifeboat crew at risk , I know they are volunteers and rescue all types of catastrophes at sea but this surfer knowingly jumped in when there were clear warnings not to putting the rescue teams at serious risk

AlternativePerspective · 10/02/2020 10:09

How do the emergency services know how much of an incident is due to stupidity or just an accident. going out on a surf board in 90 mph winds is pure stupidity.

Drinking to excess and then getting behind the wheel and driving is pure stupidity.

Of course there are going to be grey areas as there are in all walks of life. But there will also be absolute certainties such as those above, and in those cases there should be no question re a fine.

In fact if, as I suggested above, you made it illegal to enter the water in certain conditions then doing so and ending up in trouble would mean you were breaking the law and should be fined accordingly. It’s not that hard.

AlternativePerspective · 10/02/2020 10:13

Also there’s a difference between saying you won’t save someone and saying that if they put themselves and others in danger they should be held responsible for their actions.

Of course you save them, but that doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be a price to pay. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive.

CatkinToadflax · 10/02/2020 10:16

AJPTaylor hello neighbour! This is where I live too. We hear the coastguard helicopter overhead only too frequently. Anyone who was down here yesterday who chose to plonk themselves in the sea in the middle of that almighty gale is phenomenally selfish and irresponsible. The sea was so rough that the lifeboat couldn’t even return to its station - it had to go to a different station 10 miles up the coast. This is how bad conditions were yesterday. I would certainly support an idiot surcharge!

FudgeBrownie2019 · 10/02/2020 10:22

The RNLI came out to my family once years ago when I was a child because our boat had got into difficulty. My dad had spent most of his life on boats and it wasn't stupidity or arrogance, just misfortune, and I've never forgotten the terror of knowing our lives were entirely in the hands of those volunteers. As a parent I can't imagine how awful it must have been for those volunteers knowing they needed to rescue children.

Stupid people should be fined, but would then possibly refuse help/rescue because of it and the RNLI don't have time to mess about judging the worthiness of a rescue. They are incredible and the stupid people who deliberately do stuff like surfing in the worst storms for several years should be ashamed of their actions.