Humber Rescue is one of the UK’s busiest independent lifeboat charities, responding to around 130 incidents each year across the Humber Estuary and Rivers Ouse and Trent.
Based in Hessle, East Yorkshire, near the north tower of Hull’s Humber Bridge, the charity’s volunteer crew covers around 500 square miles of water and shoreline. The nearby Hessle Foreshore is a popular destination for visitors, but limited road access can make reaching people quickly in an emergency more challenging.
While Humber Rescue crews carry a wide range of emergency medical equipment on board their lifeboats and within the station itself, the station is not permanently staffed and relies on volunteers being on call. To help provide immediate support during emergencies such as cardiac arrest, a public access defibrillator was installed outside the lifeboat station in 2023.
The device was funded by Kingston Lodge 1010 of the Yorkshire and East Ridings Freemasons following the deaths of Worshipful Brothers Paul Goldthorpe and Peter Adamson. Their support allowed Humber Rescue to purchase and install an automated external defibrillator and secure a cabinet on the outside wall of the station.
Since being installed, the defibrillator has been activated by the ambulance service several times, providing residents and visitors with access to potentially lifesaving equipment in a busy public area.
Volunteer crew members share responsibility for acting as the defibrillator guardian, carrying out regular checks at least once a month to ensure the device remains rescue ready.
This includes cleaning the cabinet, checking batteries and pads, and inspecting accessories such as scissors, face shields and razors. After every activation, the defibrillator is checked again as quickly as possible, often within a few hours.