Our Mission
Founded by local members of the community in 1972, the Freshwater Lifeboat Station is owned and operated by the Freshwater Independent Lifeboat Service and is located in the village of Freshwater, on the Isle of Wight in the United Kingdom. The organisation operates 2 lifeboats and is on call to the Coast Guard 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The FILB station covers an area up to 30 miles off shore from Hurst Point to St Catherine's point. The service is not part of the RNLI and does not receive funding from the RNLI or the government. Our operations are entirely funded by the local community via a mix of donations, local business sponsorship, and local community grants.
Our regular operations often involve helping casualty vessels in need, performing recoveries from the cliffs, searches for people or animals in distress, and providing safety overwatch from the water. On average the FILB will receive 20-30 shouts a year. Our crew volunteers generously give their time to save lives at sea in the most hazardous of sea conditions. Our ground crew volunteers work year-round to ensure that lifeboat launches/recovery is as safe as possible and that FILB equipment and Boathouse are well maintained. The shop volunteers and fundraisers make sure we have the necessary funds to continue to operate.
Save Lives, Learn New Skills and Build Confidence in Yourself!
Search and rescue teams have been around since the dawn of human existence. The need to find and save comrades is a primal, deeply-set drive within all of us. Find out the difference it makes in your life to be a helper in your community as a member of a dedicated search and rescue organisation.
When it comes to the development of our skills and fitness, people typically rely on self-imposed challenges to stay motivated. Yet many people frequently find that they will still yearn not only to possess such capacities for personal pleasure, but to test and utilize them in the real world. When we know that our mental and physical skills might be put to real use, we’re more driven to keep them sharp.
When joining as a Lifeboat Crew Volunteer, you'll be given training over a 12-month probationary period. It will include:
- Search and rescue skills
- Basic first aid
- Casualty and stretcher handling
- STCW survival techniques
- Navigation, GPS and VHF radio communications
- Powerboat Level 2
