25 / 01 / 07 - NHC donates to RNLI

The National Hyperbaric Centre (NHC) presented the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) with a donation of over £500 to aid in its continual funding for equipment and lifeboats necessary for successful sea rescue operations. A number of staff at the NHC are frequent users of the sea for sport diving, sailing, surfing and canoeing. Due to this, the majority of staff at the centre chose the RNLI to donate the funds to as an alternative to sending Christmas cards. Since making the donation, David Smith, Managing Director stated: "The RNLI had a majority consensus amongst NHC employees as a worthwhile cause they would like to support. On the NHCs behalf, I was given the opportunity of presenting the RNLIs Aberdeen Coxswain, Rod McGillivray with our donation and make a valuable contribution towards emergency services at sea." The NHC also has its own commercial connection to lifeboat facilities, namely through its 24-hour emergency Hyperbaric Lifeboat Reception (HLR) facility which is capable of decompressing a vessel’s hyperbaric lifeboat should an emergency situation occur in an offshore environment resulting in change to standard decompression procedures. In an offshore emergency where divers need to evacuate a stricken vessel, divers are unable to decompress quickly from the diving chamber system. In this situation they transfer from the chamber into another chamber within the hyperbaric lifeboat which is at the same pressure. This is then transferred onshore to a hyperbaric facility, such as the NHC, for decompression. The NHC also provide medical facilities should individuals show occurring signs of decompression related symptoms. The NHC, Centre of Excellence for Subsea Safety has operated its HLR facility since the centres’ opening in 1987.