RNLI Coastal Training Exercise
Volunteer crew from RNLI Hastings have taken part in a large-scale water safety training exercise alongside local emergency services, organised by HM Coastguard.
The event, hosted at the Hastings Coastguard Station, brought together RNLI lifeguards, community first responders, East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, Sussex Police, Coastguard teams from Hastings, Bexhill and Rye, and Pett Level Independent Rescue.
The session allowed responders to share knowledge, understand each other’s equipment, and practise lifesaving techniques ahead of the busy summer season. Lot Astbury, the senior coastal operations officer for HM Coastguard, welcomed the exercise as a “valuable chance to exchange water safety insights, familiarise ourselves with each other’s equipment, and rehearse the lifesaving skills and techniques we rely on”.
Paul Freathy, the chairman of Hastings lifeboat station, said: “Training alongside our partner rescue services is invaluable. It strengthens our ability to work together effectively during incidents and ensures we are ready to respond when it matters most.” He noted that the volunteer crew give their time freely to train and maintain the highest standards, “all with one shared aim of saving lives at sea”.
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