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WHAT COUNTS AS A ‘LIFE SAVED’?

Thank you for the Lifeboat magazines I receive every quarter – they are most interesting and informative. Can I ask one question which has been on my mind for a while: How do you determine what counts as a ‘life saved’ when you go on a launch?

Adrian Fuller

Editor: As you might imagine, sometimes it’s straightforward and sometimes it’s more complicated to work out whether it’s a life saved or not. It’s important that the RNLI is clear and transparent in its recording of lives saved as it goes to the very heart of the charity’s mission to save lives at sea. The life saved definition is: Where the casualty would have died if not for an intervention by the RNLI, another emergency service and/or other third party. An intervention is only effective if it takes the person to a place of safety or on to definitive care.

There’s written guidance to help the lifeboat station/ lifeguard unit work out whether it might be a life saved by the RNLI. The guidance includes a flow chart and examples of when it would be a life saved. The set of criteria that indicates when a life has been saved includes:

• a list of definitive factors which will immediately be considered as a life saved, for example if the casualty was unconscious and not breathing, or CPR was given

• a list of contributory factors where a combination of two or more will suggest whether a life has been saved, for example a casualty suffered from hypothermia, severe injury in water or total exhaustion in water.

The lifeboat station/lifeguard unit uses this guidance, then submits a report. This gets assessed by experienced officers in the RNLI Lifesaving Operations Team and the station/unit is then informed of the outcome.

Inspired Artist

Iain Barnes, my son, has complex learning difficulties and he has been attending an art group called Hewitts, for people with disabilities, in Emsworth, Hampshire. Iain has also been a member of Langstone Sailability for many years. His work was inspired by the RNLI and the wonderful work they do saving lives at sea.

Iain’s art group entered several of their students’ work into an exhibition called Humanity, the Outside In National Exhibition in conjunction with Sotheby’s. Iain was fortunate to have his work accepted into the exhibition.

Hazel Barnes