The crew’s lifeboat medical adviser, Dr David Howell, stepped down this week and it has also emerged today that second deputy coxswain Graham Smith quit earlier this year.
A source close to the crew said: ‘The crew have kept a dignified silence since the summer but something really
needs sorting. I feel the only option
now is for Jersey to go it alone.’
Tonight Leesa Harwood, community lifesaving and fundraising director for the RNLI, is due to meet volunteers at the St Helier Lifeboat Station on the Albert Pier. The charity say the meeting is ‘part of a pre-planned visit to Jersey’.
The JEP understands that the crew remain angry about the treatment of their coxswain. Mr Hibbs, who has been with the charity for 20 years, was sacked in April after allegations that he had breached the charity’s code of conduct. The decision led to the walk-out of the then 25-strong crew. The coxswain was reinstated in June and received an apology from the charity.
There is also anger among the crew, it is said, about an increase in bureaucracy created by the charity’s head office since Mr Hibbs’ reinstatement.
The source said: ‘The crew are very upset with the continued actions from Poole. The RNLI have staff coxswains here watching over the crew constantly at an unnecessary cost – staff salary, hire car, accommodation. I believe the RNLI are making the job so difficult that no one locally will be qualified to do it. They want their own team here. They want the crew to resign so they have total control.’
The RNLI said that coxswains from the UK had been sent to the Island but they were acting as station managers until the role could be filled permanently. The charity has advertised for a full-time station manager for the St Helier Lifeboat Station. The job has a salary of up to £35,000 per year.
A spokeswoman for the RNLI said the position, which is designed to give the volunteer crew more support, had been advertised but no one had yet been recruited.
Speaking about Dr Howell’s resignation, Mike Jackson, deputy launch authority for the crew, said losing a qualified doctor was a real blow.
‘He was a much-valued member of the crew. He was with the crew for some five years. I am very saddened by it,’ he said.
‘Having a qualified doctor on crew is a real asset and medical knowledge on-board is a real benefit.’
Mr Jackson also said that losing Mr Smith was ‘difficult’ as a he was a talented second deputy coxswain.
Asked if there had been any more resignations, he replied: ‘Not at this point.’
James Gales, the former lifeboat operations manager, resigned in April and has not returned.
In a statement, the charity said: ‘We can confirm that we have received Dr Howell’s letter of resignation from the volunteer crew on St Helier lifeboat.
‘While we respect individuals’ decisions, we’re always very sorry when a volunteer makes the difficult decision to step away from their role. We will be following normal procedures to acknowledge Dr Howell’s resignation from the crew and thank him personally for his volunteering commitment to the RNLI over the last five years. We will be addressing any concerns he may have raised. We are still committed to working with remaining volunteers at the station.’
