Galway RNLI volunteer James Rattigan has qualified as a lifeboat helm, becoming the station’s first new volunteer to reach the senior command role since 2017. Rattigan joins six other helms at Galway Lifeboat Station and will now take command of the station’s inshore lifeboat and its crew during rescue operations.
The qualification marks the latest stage in a nine-year volunteering journey that began when Rattigan joined Galway RNLI as shore crew in September 2017. He then trained as lifeboat crew and qualified as a navigator last year before progressing to helm training.
“I’m delighted to take on this senior position and have the opportunity to continue in a lifesaving role while also contributing to the future of the lifeboat station by training the next generation of crew,” Rattigan said.
From Galway Waters to Lifeboat Command
Rattigan said a lifelong involvement in activities including sailing and powerboating led him to the RNLI. “Friends of the family were involved in Galway RNLI, so when I was old enough to volunteer myself it seemed like a great way to apply the skills I had learned on the water to saving lives at sea,” he said.
Moving from crew member to helm represents a significant increase in responsibility. The helm is the senior command position aboard an inshore lifeboat and is responsible for crew safety and the conduct of a rescue.
Rattigan credited Galway’s existing helms and station management with helping him through the process. “I wouldn’t have been able to do it without their support in sharing their knowledge, providing training opportunities and putting me through my paces to make sure I was ready for the helm assessment,” he said.
Command Crew – James Rattigan (fourth from left) has become Galway RNLI’s first new helm since 2017, joining the station’s team qualified to take command of its inshore lifeboat. Pictured from left are helms Brian Niland, Seán King, David Badger, James Rattigan, Martin Oliver and Declan Killilea. David Oliver is missing from the photograph. Photo: RNLI
“There were some long nights of study, and this, along with the years of experience I have gained as lifeboat crew, has helped me to prepare for whatever situation I might face as a helm when we are called out on a shout.”
More Than 50 Competencies
Galway Lifeboat Station volunteer Lifeboat Training Coordinator Mike Guilfoyle said becoming a helm required a major commitment from both the candidate and the wider station.
“The helm is responsible for the safety of the crew on board the lifeboat and for everything that happens during a rescue,” Guilfoyle said.
Training encompasses boat handling, leadership and emergency situation management, with online learning, shore-based instruction, training at sea and courses at the RNLI College in Poole.
Guilfoyle estimated that a volunteer following Rattigan’s progression would need to study and pass assessments covering more than 50 competency modules. “It is a massive undertaking which requires someone who is dedicated, enthusiastic and committed to the RNLI’s lifesaving mission and that is the perfect description of James,” he said. “We are incredibly proud of his achievement and the inspiration he is for future crew.”
Key to Galway Lifeboat Station
Following his successful assessment, Rattigan was presented with a key to Galway Lifeboat Station by RNLI Assessor Trainer Seán Ginnelly, continuing a local tradition for newly qualified helms.
The key also symbolises the responsibility that comes with the position. Once a crew assembles for a launch, the helm takes command through the rescue and subsequent return to station, including ensuring the lifeboat is recovered, washed down and refuelled and that post-launch procedures are completed. The helm can ultimately be the final volunteer to leave and lock the station after a call-out.
Rattigan will now combine those operational responsibilities with helping develop future Galway RNLI volunteers — a role he said was an important part of taking the next step in his own lifesaving career.
