Lifeboat callouts have risen by 22% in Blackpool
Posted: September 24, 2013
Posted in: Personal Injury
The seaside town of Blackpool has the busiest RNLI crew in the north of the country with around 13 million tourists holidaying there every year. The RNLI believe that the reason behind the dramatic increase in callout numbers is because of the high temperatures experienced over the summer months. Blackpool’s crew saw 62 launches over June, July and August, while Sunderland and Redcar – which both saw 45 launches during the same period – were named the two busiest stations in the country.
With Blackpool’s inshore lifeboat team seeing an increase from 51 callouts in 2012, to 62 so far this year, it is believed that the improved weather has caused this, with more tourists heading to the beach and occasionally finding themselves in difficulty. Keith Horrocks, Blackpool RNLI Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: “Even the naming ceremony of our new lifeboat was interrupted by a rescue call.”
Lives saved by people paying more attention to RNLI’s safety messages
Matt Horton, the RNLI’s Senior Lifeguard Manager, said that although callout numbers have increased, the number of incidents has not risen “too sharply compared to the increased volume of beach users” due to the public being more aware of the RNLI’s safety messages.
Between 2007 and 2011, the RNLI has seen over 43,000 launches with almost 25,000 people being rescued. Out of those rescued, almost 1,600 people were saved that would otherwise have drowned.
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