Local lifeboat crew were the busiest in the west coast of Scotland

They were deployed on 74 launches and were second only to Broughty Ferry, Scotland’s busiest lifeboat station where the crew went to sea on 92 occasions.

Further south along the Ayrshire coast, Girvan may not have been mustered as many times but they were involved in some of the most dramatic rescues, with four people’s lives saved, including two who were under 18-years-old.
Along with their counterparts in Aberdeen, the crew also joined forces with the emergency services to help numerous people in difficulties caused by Storm Frank in December.

This included a rescue operation when a bus was stranded in floods at Dailly with 12 passengers trapped inside, who were airlifted to safety.

Crew members carry pagers when they are on call — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — and respond without delay when alerted, never knowing what faces them after the alarm has been raised.

Incident reduction manager Michael Avril, said: “Our volunteer lifeboat crew and lifeguards have again worked exceptionally hard serving our local communities. We continue to urge those working on or enjoying our coastline and inland areas to respect the water.

“Inland, floods caused heartache for many at the end of 2015 and we ask those faced with floods to be aware of the fast flowing flood waters and to keep a safe distance. We understand that things can go wrong from time to time, so some preventative maintenance and annual checks prior to the boating season should allow for worry free sea time.”

His sentiments were echoed by Matt Crofts of the RNLI operations department who said that without its volunteers, fundraisers and education teams, the lifesaving service would not operate.

Leesa Harwood, lifesaving and fundraising director, added: “It’s humbling to see the lifesaving work of our volunteer crew, lifeguards, flood rescue teams and safety advisers – out of the 9,763 rescued in the UK and Ireland, 442 people are alive today because of their actions.”