When the pager sounds - Brad Johnson's volunteering with the RNLI

We explore the life of events and communications manager, Brad Johnson who volunteers for the RNLI; being on call 24/7; balancing the responsibilities of his role, supported by the company.

I had been back in my hometown for around 14 months, and I’d been with IDP Connect for just over six months by this point. I always wanted to give something back to my community and so I reached out to two of my mates who were already on the crew. And that was how my volunteer career with the RNLI began.

My first concern was, ‘oh no’ what will my employer think as I’m on call 24/7 carrying an emergency pager and there’s a risk that a call out at 2am might go on until 2pm the day. I needn’t have worried. Supportive? Well, that’s an understatement.

The flexibility of the management team is beyond anything I’d have imagined, and the interest from the company, well that’s just amazing. I can flex my time around very short notice call outs and have an open dialogue with my manager to ensure I can still do both roles without sacrificing the quality of my work. Oh, and the company’s flexible working policy means I’m 150 miles away from the office, close to my family, and by the coast allowing me to volunteer with the charity.

Alongside my role at the station, I am also embarking on a three-year fundraising challenge for the charity. I am taking on a series of fun, exciting and endurance building challenges between 2022 and 2024, with many having a ‘200’ theme to them.

The 200-theme selected is because the RNLI is celebrating their 200-year anniversary in 2024, so to celebrate the work of the charity since 1824, I wanted to recognise this by completing as many challenges as possible. Skegness’ station turns 197 in the same year, meaning I am part of a legacy over nearly two centuries, giving back to my community like those before me have selflessly done.

These challenges include taking on 200 frames on snooker, walking 200 furlongs (about 25 miles), taking on 200 holes of crazy golf, 200 laps around our Shannon class lifeboat, 24 hours out at sea in a life raft and visiting all the Thames RNLI Stations over a weekend!

Brad is tracking his journey on Instagram and Facebook. He is accepting donations via his JustGiving page with all funds going to RNLI Skegness.

All the information about these challenges is on the station’s website.

For those who don't know, The Royal National Lifeboat Institution is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways.

All the crew that goes to sea are just normal people. They're also all volunteers who give up their time and risk their safety to save lives at sea. I’m a member of the Lifeboat Crew; covering shore functions, our inshore lifeboat and all-weather lifeboat; as well as being in the Media, Press & Heritage Team at Skegness RNLI Lifeboat Station.

Within this volunteering role, I can also use my professional skills gained in communications to support the station's work through fundraising and community awareness. I manage the station's social media presence as well as the station's website. I am also the lead for heritage work at the station which means I manage all the records and archives since 1827 and try to turn this into a story for the wider public to engage with.

Across my sea-going and shore crew roles, I am on call 24 hours a day available to respond to a call out. I always carry a small pager on my person, and when it alarms, it means that there’s an emergency in progress.

When it happens is a different story. It can be any time and any day. That's why I always carry an emergency pager with me. When it sounds (and yes, it can be 4 am), it means that HM Coastguard has requested the support of either our inshore D class lifeboat or our larger all-weather lifeboat to support an ongoing incident.

When we launch it can be a variety of things, a person in distress in the water, a missing person, a vessel in distress or any situation that needs emergency support from the lifeboats. Minutes count. So, without a moment’s notice, I'll grab my things (in the day including my laptop), jump in the car and safely get to the station.

Ever wondered what an RNLI pager sounds like?

(Warning: Sound is loud and has a high pitch)

And I couldn't do this role without the support of my manager and SLT leader. They offer me the flexibility to respond to these emergency calls and make up the hours around the 'shouts'. Sometimes our larger boat can be out for a few hours (if not more), so in the downtime, I head to the station office to catch up with work and get back on with normal life.

It takes quite a while to train to be a sea-going member of the crew and I started my training for that in February 2022. There are various levels of crew and, you gradually, over many years of work expand your knowledge, experience, and role competency.

The initial training will include a week or two in intense training at the RNLI College in Poole to ensure I am fit and more importantly trained enough to go to sea with the crew. We also undertake regular training twice a week on a Tuesday evening as well as some Sunday mornings so there are plenty of opportunities to pick up new skills as part of my development.

My initial training will be on the D class inshore lifeboat (ILB) as well as initial training on skills such as line management, search and rescue operations, radar and helming the all-weather lifeboat. The training book is quite a thick one so there's a lot of reading to be done too as well as numerous practical assessments from anything from PPE, navigation, tidal patterns, casualty care and pyrotechnics.

Since joining the crew, the support of my colleagues and managers has been truly spectacular. I never hesitate to share a photo of myself in kit on training, send a selfie of me leaving the station as I head home at 4am after a shout, or share updates on my training plans with the charity.

I couldn’t think of a better employer who supports their staff who give back to their communities. They’re flexible, and more importantly, genuinely care about the interests of their people. Additionally, they can see the value of the training and development I undertake with the RNLI can be transferred and used within my role at the company.

Thank you IDP Connect.

Image Credits: Brad Johnson, RNLI Skegness, Nigel Millard & Nick Walton