Gosport Lifeboat Station is a volunteer-operated

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s * Independ ...

lifeboat Lifeboat may refer to: Rescue vessels * Lifeboat (shipboard), a small craft aboard a ship to allow for emergency escape * Lifeboat (rescue), a boat designed for sea rescues * Airborne lifeboat, an air-dropped boat used to save downed airmen ...

station charity located in the village of

Alverstoke Alverstoke is a small settlement which forms part of the borough of Gosport, on the south coast of Hampshire, England. It stretches east–west from Fort Blockhouse, Haslar to Browndown Battery, and is centred east of the shore of Stokes Bay and ...

on the peninsula of

Gosport Gosport ( ) is a town and non-metropolitan borough on the south coast of Hampshire, South East England. At the 2011 Census, its population was 82,662. Gosport is situated on a peninsula on the western side of Portsmouth Harbour, opposite t ...

in the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

county of

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

.OS Explorer Map – 119 - Meon Valley, Portsmouth, Gosport and Fareham, Showing part of the South Downs Way (Folded Map). Published: Ordnance Survey; A2 edition (15 February 2010). Owned and operated by Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS), it operates free lifeboat services in the

Solent The Solent ( ) is a strait between the Isle of Wight and Great Britain. It is about long and varies in width between , although the Hurst Spit which projects into the Solent narrows the sea crossing between Hurst Castle and Colwell Bay to ...

from

Portsmouth Harbour Portsmouth Harbour is a biological Site of Special Scientific Interest between Portsmouth and Gosport in Hampshire. It is a Ramsar site and a Special Protection Area. It is a large natural harbour in Hampshire, England. Geographically it i ...

to Titchfield Haven, on the approaching shores of Southampton Water. GAFIRS is a charity registered in England and Wales (1159681). GAFIRS is on call with

HM Coastguard His Majesty's Coastguard (HMCG) is a section of the Maritime and Coastguard Agency responsible, through the Secretary of State for Transport to Parliament, for the initiation and co-ordination of all maritime search and rescue (SAR) within the ...

24 hours a day, 365 days a year. When lifeboat crews are not on station, they are ready for an immediate launch via pager callout. In addition to the frontline lifeboat service, GAFIRS helps the county's other

emergency services Emergency services and rescue services are organizations that ensure public safety and health by addressing and resolving different emergencies. Some of these agencies exist solely for addressing certain types of emergencies, while others deal wit ...

respond to inland incidents such as

flooding A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are an area of study of the discipline hydrolog ...

, snow rescue and inland water rescues. 2009 marked the charity's 40th anniversary.

Independent status

There are 235

RNLI The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...

-owned lifeboat stations around the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

, and there are 65 lifeboat stations which are not owned or managed by the RNLI, such as GAFIRS. Like the RNLI, GAFIRS provides services to

whose equipment, training, policies and procedures comply with the Maritime and Coastguard Agency's Rescue Boat Code of Practice. In 2010, GAFIRS and other independent lifeboat stations in the United Kingdom launched an awareness campaign to remove the common public misconception that there is only one charity "Saving Lives at Sea." The campaign, titled "Go Orange for Indie Lifeboat", aims to educate members of the public that donations to the RNLI may not actually be going towards their local lifeboat station if it is one of the independent ones, such as GAFIRS or Ryde Inshore Rescue.

Patron

The patron of Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service is yachtswoman

Dee Caffari Denise "Dee" Caffari MBE (born 23 January 1973) is a British sailor, and in 2006 became the first woman to sail single-handedly and non-stop around the world "the wrong way"; westward against the prevailing winds and currents. In February 2009 ...

, who became patron on 17 October 2011, after the death of the previous patron Lady Margaret Fieldhouse.

Lifeboats and Rescue Vehicles

Gosport Lifeboat

The "Joan Dora Fuller", Search and Rescue call sign "Gosport Lifeboat," is a 9m Delta rigid hulled inflatable boat. It is powered by twin Yanmar 8LV, 4.42-litre turbo diesel V8s producing 320 hp each. Driving 2 x Hamilton waterjets via an electrically controlled reversible gearbox. The craft's maximum speed is 43 knots (50 mph) and can reach any part of the patrol area within 10 minutes of launch. The lifeboat has a variety of equipment to help rescue vessels and save lives. The kit includes advanced medical kit including an automatic external defibrillator (AED) and oxygen, search lights and thermal imaging cameras. There is also a VHF direction-finding equipment for homing in on a casualty vessel's radio transmissions, a chart plotter, tow lines, radar and depth sounder. The Lifeboat also features VHF radios for communications with the Coastguard, Gosport Lifeboat Station and casualties. In addition there is a tool kit with damage control items to stop leaks.

Gosport Inshore Lifeboat (Gosport ILB)

The "Ian Fuller", Search and Rescue call sign "Gosport ILB," is a 4.8m Ribcraft and the service's patrol craft and secondary lifeboat. She is powered by a single 60 hp outboard engine. A specially designed trailer enables her to be taken to inland incidents. She is equipped for rescue work including, Flares and para illumination flares, tow lines, GPS chart plotter, depth sounder, AIS and first aid kit (including AED and oxygen). The lifeboat has VHF radio and is

DSC DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

-compatible.

Gosport Rescue Mobile

The Gosport Rescue Mobile is a long-wheelbase landrover, which acts as an incident support vehicle both for inland incidents and shoreside assistant for the organisation's rescue craft. Gosport Rescue Mobile carries first aid, oxygen,

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

equipment and rescue

stretcher A stretcher, gurney, litter, or pram is an apparatus used for moving patients who require medical care. A basic type (cot or litter) must be carried by two or more people. A wheeled stretcher (known as a gurney, trolley, bed or cart) is often ...

s. Additionally it carries light rescue tools and scene lighting equipment for protracted incidents. The vehicle is also fitted with emergency blue lights and sirens which can be used by trained and licensed personnel (who are all part of the emergency services as a profession.)

Cadets and Canoe Lifeguard Section

The organisation has a Cadet Section for youths between the ages of 14 and 18. The aim of the section is to teach the youngsters lifesaving skills both in

canoe A canoe is a lightweight narrow water vessel, typically pointed at both ends and open on top, propelled by one or more seated or kneeling paddlers facing the direction of travel and using a single-bladed paddle. In British English, the term ...

s and on the beach, as well as

lifeguard A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...

skills. The service uses canoes for routine patrols and rescue work along the coastline of the area and additionally in support of the mud rescue teams. The canoes are normally paddled by the cadet section. The canoes used are the 'Shark' rescue canoe, Selki rescue canoe and Plastic Sea Boats. The Shark was designed originally by the service to withstand the rigours of life as a rescue craft. The service has 14 rescue canoes and two

paddle board Paddleboarding is a water sport in which participants are propelled by a swimming motion using their arms while lying or kneeling on a paddleboard or surfboard in the ocean or other body of water. This article refers to traditional prone or kneel ...

Incidents

The service attended 1,902 incidents from 1996 to 2011.

References

External links

Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue WebsiteOnScene Magazine / Issue 1 / Summer 2013
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service Lifeboat stations in Hampshire Independent Lifeboat stations Sea rescue organisations of the United Kingdom Organisations based in Hampshire