Lottie Ikonen is employed by Newsquest and serves as a volunteer at Brighton RNLI.
The views expressed are put forward in her capacity as an RNLI volunteer.
When a pager activation occurs at the RNLI, volunteers receive no information about the individual requiring assistance.
No details are provided regarding their identity, their origin, or the circumstances that led to their predicament.
Furthermore, no enquiries are made about such matters.
Personnel proceed directly to the lifeboat station, don their equipment, and proceed to sea purely because someone is in need of help.
The operation should fundamentally remain that straightforward.
However, this week, in the wake of demonstrations in Portsmouth, RNLI volunteers and staff members have been subjected to both online and physical harassment that the organisation’s chief executive Peter Sparkes labelled as unacceptable.
He addressed what he described as deliberate falsehoods circulating about the RNLI and emphasised the essential principle underpinning the charity’s work: crews exist to prevent individuals from drowning at sea.
Earlier this week, a social media post expressed pride in serving as an RNLI volunteer and in the charity’s record of more than two centuries spent saving lives at sea without discrimination or partiality.
The response to this post arrived swiftly.
The RNLI was branded as a transportation service.
Accusations were made that volunteers were facilitating the entry of criminals into the country.
The nature of some commentary proved deeply troubling.
Citizens unquestionably possess the right to hold opinions regarding immigration.
Legitimate discussions can and should take place concerning government policy, border security, and crossings made in small vessels.
Nevertheless, RNLI volunteers bear no responsibility for formulating immigration legislation.
Search and rescue operations throughout the United Kingdom fall under the coordination of HM Coastguard.
Whenever an RNLI lifeboat receives a tasking to assist someone experiencing difficulties at sea, the respective crew proceeds without delay.
Crews do not arrive at a scene and subsequently determine whether the individual merits rescue.
Such an approach would be entirely inappropriate.
Where would such reasoning conclude?
Should a lifeboat crew opt against providing assistance to someone who disregarded safety warnings before entering the water?
What precedent would be established regarding a sailor who acted recklessly or a paddleboarder who failed to consult weather forecasts?
The crews do not engage in such evaluations.
They render assistance to the person before them who requires support.
It also proves valuable to contextualise certain allegations levelled at the RNLI.
During the previous year, the RNLI conducted 9,058 lifeboat launches in total.
Of these, 109 involved individuals in distress within the Channel.
This figure represents merely 1.2 per cent of all launch operations.
The Border Force intercepted nearly 95 per cent of small boats.
Nevertheless, even absent these statistics, the fundamental principle remains unchanged.
An individual in peril at sea constitutes an individual in peril at sea.
At the Brighton station, the opportunity exists to volunteer alongside a remarkable assembly of individuals forming the local RNLI community.
This community encompasses not merely the crew members who respond to pager activations and proceed to sea, but also those who provide assistance at the station premises, volunteer within the shop, participate in fundraising activities, support various events, and contribute their time across numerous diverse capacities.
The dedication demonstrated by these individuals proves truly noteworthy, rendering the harassment directed at both volunteers and staff this week particularly distressing to witness.
Encouragingly, the hostile remarks have not constituted the entirety of communications received.
One message originated from a woman whose spouse received rescue from Brighton RNLI during a storm at Brighton Marina more than fifteen years previously.
She urged that the vitriol and alarmist commentary circulating online be disregarded, stating that she and her husband possessed complete understanding of the volunteers’ contributions and offered their salute to all involved.
This particular message has remained significant.
Behind every launch recorded in statistics stands an actual human being.
Families continue to have their loved ones present today because someone responded to a pager activation, launched a lifeboat, and proceeded to assist a complete stranger.
The commitment to the RNLI at Brighton inspires considerable pride, as does appreciation for every individual who dedicates their time to the organisation.
No volunteer possesses the authority to determine who requires assistance.
Nor should such selectivity ever apply.
For more than two centuries, the RNLI has existed to preserve lives at sea without judgement or preference.
This principle has not altered.
Nor will it.
Those wishing to learn more about Brighton RNLI can attend an Open House Day being held at the lifeboat station situated at Brighton Marina this coming Sunday, September 13, between 11am and 4pm.
Attendees will have the opportunity to tour the boathouse, encounter crew members, learn knot-tying techniques, inspect the equipment room, and visit the RNLI shop.
All members of the public are welcome to attend.