O V E R A L Ls
Name: Location: Herd size: Pastime:
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Adrian Semmens Sennen Cove, Cornwall 210 cows RNLI volunteer
Adrian Semmens: “Launch decisions rest on our shoulders”
Manning the lifeboats text Rachael Porter
L
iving so close to the Cornish coast, it’s little wonder that Adrian Semmens spends some of his spare time at the beach. But he’s not one for sunbathing. His trips to the shoreline are either as a member of the HM Coastguard or as a Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) volunteer. He first got involved with the RNLI when he was six years old. His grandfather was elected chairman of the Sennen Cove Lifeboat Station committee and, when he was old enough, Adrian also became involved with the station. He too was elected to the committee some 14 years ago. Today, as well as being a member of HM Coastguard for the nearly 40 years, Adrian is now the chairman of the lifeboat station – one of 234 around the UK and the Republic of Ireland – and he’s also one of the deputy launching authorities (DLAs). The DLA acts as a deputy to the lifeboat operations manager when they are on leave and is, therefore, responsible for managing all operational activities at the lifeboat station, authorising the launch of a lifeboat and the day-to-day management of the station. “The operations manager – and the DLAs – decide if a boat should launch, or not, when we receive a launch request by pager,” explains Adrian. “We’re there to ‘protect’ the station’s coxswain or his deputies. The decision to launch, and any consequences of that, rest on our shoulders and not theirs,” explains Adrian. Much depends on the weather but in 99 out of 100 cases a boat is launched. That decision is made in 10 to 15 seconds. “We’ve always got an eye on the sea, the weather and the forecast. We make the weather our business so we always have a ‘heads up’ if we get a shout.” Although Adrian does not go out to sea himself, he is a crucial member of the on-shore team. His daughter Emma, who works alongside Adrian at the family dairy unit, is also a member of HM Coastguard and a DLA at the station. Adrian enjoys the responsibility of both his RNLI and Coastguard roles. “It’s great to be part of such a fantastic organisation and to be working at the ‘sharp’ end. I get a lot of satisfaction from what I do. “To be involved in a rescue is a really good feeling. What’s a disturbed night’s sleep if you’ve played a major part in rescuing someone?” If you’d like to know more about the RNLI, or are interested in volunteering, then visit www.rlni.org.uk
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22-08-13 14:20