On New Year’s Eve last year, Aaron Thurlow was at home with his wife and stepson.

They had just eaten dinner and were watching TV when his phone buzzed.  

It was an emergency message from Caister Lifeboat - there were reports a flare had been fired off the coast and all crew members were to get to the station immediately. 

Within seven minutes Mr Thurlow and the other volunteers had launched their all-weather vessel the Bernard Matthews II. 

And for the next 45 minutes they searched the waves offshore – but in the end it turned out to be a false alarm.  

Great Yarmouth Mercury: A vessel belonging to Caister Lifeboat takes to the waves. A vessel belonging to Caister Lifeboat takes to the waves. (Image: Caister Lifeboat)

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The flare was in fact a firework.  

“On that occasion everything turned out well," Mr Thurlow says. "Everyone got back in time to enjoy the celebrations."

For the 39-year-old, who describes himself as “lifeboat mad”, the independent, volunteer-led service runs in his blood.  

His father, Dick, was coxswain for 14 years beginning in 1990. 

“When I was a boy, I used to go down to the lifeboat station with him all the time," Mr Thurlow says. 

"I started off sweeping the shed and then cleaning the boats.” 

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His first call-out came when he was 12-years-old. At the time he was a student at Caister High but that night the lifeboat was out until the early hours and the young crew member had to miss lessons the next day.  

Twenty-seven years later, Mr Thurlow is still on call - and this Christmas was the same.  

“At any point your phone could go off,” he says. 

When an incident happens at sea, the Coastguard notifies the duty coxswain at Caister Lifeboat who then broadcasts text messages to all 24 crew members – four text messages within 30 seconds. 

“Everyone goes to the station. From being at home to launching the lifeboat takes approximately seven minutes," Mr Thurlow says.   

“It’s a quick process. Everyone knows their job. We’ve had years of practice now. 

“This is what we take pride in doing,” he says.