Gosport And Fareham Inshore Rescue Service

31/05/2026

Tasking 22 of 2026 – Inflatable Drifting Offshore

Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service were tasked for the 22nd time this year today.

Shortly after launching for routine training, the crew received a radio call from HM Coastguard at 13:56. Realising that GAFIRS were already afloat, Coastguard requested immediate assistance to a person in an inflatable being swept out to sea near the Hayling Island beachfront amusement park.

The crew responded quickly and, once the throttles were opened on Joan Dora Fuller, were on scene within just 12 minutes.

Upon arrival, the casualty was located and it was established that they had already received assistance from a passing kitesurfer. The individual had lost an oar and was ill-equipped for the conditions, having no flotation device with them.

The crew carried out a welfare check before handing over to Portsmouth Coastguard Rescue Team, who had arrived on scene. Portsmouth RNLI’s D Class lifeboat was also tasked and arrived shortly after GAFIRS had made contact with the casualty.

After being stood down, the crew noticed a second person struggling with another inflatable nearby. A precautionary check was carried out to ensure they were safe and did not require assistance. The individual advised they were okay, but the crew provided some safety advice and remained nearby until they were seen to return safely to shore.

As the weather improves and more people head to the coast, we would like to remind everyone to plan ahead, wear suitable flotation devices when using inflatables on the water, and be aware of offshore winds and tidal conditions, which can quickly carry people away from shore.

If you see someone in difficulty at the coast, call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.

31/05/2026

Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service at the Gosport Marine Festival

Recently, Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service attended the Gosport Marine Festival.

While our main aim at events such as these is to engage with our community, meet our supporters, and talk about water safety, the fantastic work carried out by our Cadets, and lifeboating in general, we were also incredibly grateful for the generosity shown by visitors throughout the day.

The many lovely people who stopped by to say hello also contributed an amazing £88.93 to our collection tubs.

Every donation, no matter the size, helps us continue providing our lifesaving service, supporting our volunteers, and delivering vital water safety education within the community.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to visit us and to those who made a donation. Your support is greatly appreciated and makes a real difference.

Thank you from all at GAFIRS.

27/05/2026

https://www.portsmouth.co.uk/your-world/mayors-of-gosport-and-fareham-show-their-support-for-local-rescue-service-8642169

Mayors show their support for local rescue service

25/05/2026

Bayside Quiz Night Full of Fun, Laughter and Community Spirit

Friday 22nd May saw teams go head-to-head in another hugely popular “Quiz at the Bay” event at the Bayside Cabin.

Organised by the fantastic Steph and Chalky in aid of GAFIRS, and hosted by the ever-entertaining Gary Parker, it was always destined to be a brilliant evening. Gary even unveiled an all-new quiz jingle, much to the delight of those attending!

Just moments before the quiz got underway, the familiar sound of GAFIRS pagers filled the room. To cheers and applause from fellow participants, most of the GAFIRS team made a swift exit to respond. Fortunately, while travelling along Stokes Bay, the crew received a stand-down message and were able to return shortly afterwards to continue enjoying the evening.

While the atmosphere was light-hearted and full of fun, there was also an important message behind the fundraising.

During his opening speech, GAFIRS Community Director invited five women and two men to stand at the front of the room to illustrate findings from a study by the British Heart Foundation. The study found that women are less likely to receive bystander CPR when they need it and, following a cardiac arrest, survival rates are significantly lower for women than for men. Using the volunteers at the front as a visual example, the audience could clearly see the disparity.

Research suggests that some bystanders feel less comfortable administering CPR to women due to misconceptions or concerns about exposing the chest during treatment. This hesitation can have devastating consequences when every second counts.

So where does GAFIRS fit into this?

Alongside the community defibrillators being installed around the area—an initiative that GAFIRS crew member Taff Crofts is heavily involved in—the funds raised through the Bayside Cabin Quiz will enable GAFIRS to purchase a QCPR training mannequin. This state-of-the-art equipment provides real-time feedback on CPR depth and speed, helping trainees develop life-saving skills with confidence through audible prompts and performance monitoring.

The new equipment will play a vital role in training our young cadets and volunteers, helping to break down misconceptions and ensure that everyone, regardless of gender, receives the potentially life-saving CPR they need.

A huge thank you goes to everyone who attended and supported the evening, including:

* Steph and Chalky
* Gary Parker and Judith Meagher
* The Mayor of Gosport, Kirsten Bradley
* The Mayor of Fareham, Tina Ellis
* The staff at the Bayside Cabin

The evening also provided an opportunity to recognise one of our own. Brian Pack received a rousing round of applause in recognition of his remarkable 36 years of service to GAFIRS.

And finally, the room joined together in song to celebrate the birthdays of GAFIRS crew member Caroline Lockyer and Nigel from the Stokes Bay Pirates, who were both celebrating on the night.

Thank you to everyone who helped make the event such a memorable success. Your support continues to make a real difference in helping GAFIRS save lives and educate the next generation of volunteers. 🚤❤️

24/05/2026

Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue service has seen a leap in its Incident count in the last few days, which is not surprising given the weather and people flocking to the coast to take advantage.

Incident 17 was on Friday the 22nd May at 15.24, The Ian Fuller ILB was requested to assist a person in the water near Portsmouth Train Station, Hampshire and IOW Fire service were in attendance when resolved the Gosport crew were stood down.

Incident 18 was also on Friday the 22nd May at 19.55pm, it just so happened that some of the crew on call were attending the Bayside Cabin Quiz, when the pagers sounded, to claps and cheers the crew hurried out the door, Leaving their quiz team very low on numbers!
The incident was to a boat aground, but as the crew made their way to the station word came through from HMCG that the boat had managed to refloat and become free, so a stand down was issued and much to the delight of the remaining quiz team they were able to return.

Incident 19 13.45 Saturday 23rd May, a rib with loss of propulsion had come into difficulty near the entrance to Portsmouth harbour the Gosport ILB working in coordination with KHM and HMCG took them in tow and brought them in safely alongside at Hornet sailing club.

Incident 20 15.07 Saturday the 23rd of May reports of a vessel with 2 POB near to Spitbank fort taking on water, the crew of the Gosport ILB and a Police launch worked together to bring the vessel into Hornet sailing club safely alongside side where the bilge pump was made operational, so a successful outcome by all.

It is a timely reminder to always check equipment and carry out maintenance before going afloat, think about the essentials, and refresh yourself as to where all your equipment is located on your boat.
Two of the most important are a Lifejacket and a method to call for help, if you can float and raise the alarm then assistance is always much easier.

24/05/2026

Community Matters! 🍦🚤

Today was a duty day for the volunteers of Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service, and with the sunshine making for a particularly warm day, a thoughtful act of kindness from a local business certainly put smiles on the faces of the crew.

With Warren’s Ice Cream van operating close to the lifeboat station, Conner, who was working on the van, kindly offered every member of the GAFIRS crew a free ice cream. He explained that the gesture had come directly from Warren as a way of showing support for the service and its volunteers.

Acts of generosity like this mean a great deal to our crew. While we are always ready to respond when needed, it is the encouragement and support of our local community that helps keep spirits high and reminds us why we are so proud to serve the Gosport and Fareham area.

A huge thank you to Connor and Warren for your kindness and generosity. The ice creams were very much appreciated and certainly went down well on a hot duty day!

We are incredibly fortunate to have such wonderful support from our local community. 💙

24/05/2026

Inspiring the Next Generation

Some of our volunteer lifeboat crew recently attended the Year 6 Careers Day at Alverstoke Junior School.

The event gave pupils the opportunity to explore a wide range of future career paths, and our crew were delighted to be invited along to talk about the world of search and rescue, volunteering, and the vital role Independent Lifeboat station Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service plays within the local community.

Dan, Andy and Kelly had a fantastic time meeting the children, answering their questions, and sharing their experiences of volunteering with GAFIRS. From discussing emergency response and teamwork to explaining how volunteers help save lives on the water, there was plenty to talk about.

It was a really enjoyable event to be involved in and a wonderful opportunity to engage with young people within our community. A huge thank you to Alverstoke Junior School for the invitation and warm welcome.

Who knows, perhaps some future lifeboat crew members were taking it all in! 🚤💙

20/05/2026

Prestigious Award for Crew Member at Independent Lifeboat station Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service.

We have a truly proud moment to celebrate and share. Earlier today, Brian Pack, who had been nominated for Gosport Citizen of the Year in recognition of his 36 years of dedicated service to Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS), was presented with the award.

Brian started volunteering for the service when he was just 14 years old as a cadet member, working hard to complete many lifesaving awards during his time as a cadet.

At 18 years old, Brian began his lifeboat training and quickly put the skills learned as a cadet into practice, achieving full lifeboat crew status. Brian then continued his development, eventually becoming one of the lifeboat’s Coxswains.

Throughout his years of commitment, Brian has consistently demonstrated exceptional reliability, compassion, and integrity, contributing countless hours supporting our organisation, helping to save lives at sea and delivering CPR skills on land.

As a service, we cannot truly calculate the number of hours Brian has dedicated to GAFIRS, as many of our earlier records were paper based. However, since digital recording systems were introduced, Brian has given his time to nearly 500 incidents, and during his time within the service we estimate he has supported more than 800 incidents as crew member or Coxswain of the lifeboat.

Brian exemplifies what it means to be a true volunteer — always willing to step forward, support others, and make a meaningful difference without ever seeking recognition. These qualities are at the heart of what it means to be one of the GAFIRS volunteers.

Brian has dedicated his time to the service 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, alongside family and work commitments as a local self-employed businessman. We would also like to acknowledge every family occasion he has left, every event missed, and every sleepless night spent responding to lifeboat call outs before still returning to work the next day — sometimes after only putting the boat away at 6am.

Brian’s long-term dedication has been invaluable not only to the service, but also to the wider community through training events, public engagement, and ongoing support at community events alongside operational call outs.

After 36 years of commitment, Brian is truly deserving of this honour. Having given well over 6,000 hours of direct support to our charity, this does not even include the countless hours he has spent on call and available to respond.

Typically, on receiving the citizen of the year award, Brian paid tribute to his fellow volunteers, stating he could not do what he does without the support of the crew around him.

GAFIRS would also like to acknowledge and thank his wife Amanda and his children, who have supported him throughout this incredible journey and, on many occasions, patiently waited for his safe return.

The award was presented by Mayor of Gosport, Councillor Kirsten Bradley, with GAFIRS Chairperson Joanne Young in attendance.

The true measure of the man can only be reflected in the countless people he has assisted, rescued, and helped save over this remarkable 36-year period.

From all of your crew — thank you, Brian. You have our utmost respect.