By Gemma Simpson, 2 May 2007 15:39
Pagers are used because while someone might ignore a mobile going off, with a pager they know there's an emergency to respond to, Forsham explained.
The current pagers (pictured) are smaller than the previous devices and also have the advantage of a range of different ringtones: one for a launch situation, another for a systems test, another for a cancelled launch and so on. .
Martin Jaggs, coxswain and mechanic for Lytham St Annes station, told silicon.com a lot of volunteers will hear the pager going off and run to the lifeboat station - without checking the message on the screen.
Jaggs said: "We used to get a few people running into the station ready for a launch when all we were doing was sending a test message out."
The different sets of tones should stop volunteers turning up when they're not needed, Jaggs added.
Photo credit: Gemma Simpson
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