A ground-breaking new pilot training course for fishermen aimed at preventing man overboard incidents and improving survival and recovery procedures has just been completed at the RNLI’s Training College in Dorset, UK.
The RNLI, working in conjunction with the UK fishing industry, has developed the two-day training course to better reflect real-life sea conditions so as to ensure fishermen are fully aware of the dangers and challenges of man overboard situations.
Derek Cardno, safety officer for the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation (SFF), said that previous training undertaken in the UK tended to take place in warm swimming pools. But the RNLI’s special training facility features more realistic seawater temperatures and replicates artificial waves, giving fishermen a much better understanding of how dangerous an MoB situation can be.
“We are determined to do all we can to dramatically reduce the number of man overboard incidents each year – and we believe that effective and realistic training is the key for achieving this aim,” he said.
The training pilot featured a variety of different scenarios including being in the water with and without survival gear. The challenges of recovering a man overboard wearing a personal flotation device were also practised, including self-recovery for the single boat fisherman and for those who work as part of a crew.
Sixteen fishermen participated in the first course held on 26 and 27 January, including six from Scotland, and it is hoped that it will be the precursor for many more courses of this type in the future.
