With my own two hands

So, why do you rarely see lifeboat crew wearing gloves?

Well, you do sometimes, just not often. Indeed we are issued with two kinds of gloves:

Firstly the ILB crew are issued with neoprene gloves (diving style). During the winter these can be a real lifesaver. It is likely that when in the ILB a crewmembers hands will be continually wet, this fact combined with wind chill can rapidly cool a pair of hands to the point where they are completely numb. However, with these gloves on (they are about 5mm thick) it is pretty much impossible to feel anything and all manual dexterity is lost. Therefor it is standard practise to remove them as soon as the crew arrive on scene. Makes perfect sense.

The other type of gloves we are issued with are the blue latex surgical type gloves which ambulance crews are provided with. Many crew carry a couple of pairs of these in the pockets of their foul weather gear. It is standard procedure to don a couple of pairs of these prior to arriving at any incident where there is likely to be a requirement for first aid. Naturally they are disposable!

I can change the world
With my own two hands
Make it a better place
With my own two hands
Make it a kinder place
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can make peace on earth
With my own two hands
I can clean up the earth
With my own two hands
I can reach out to you
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a brighter place
With my own two hands
I'm going to make it a safer place
With my own two hands
I'm going to help the human race
With my own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
I can hold you
With my own two hands
I can comfort you
With my own two hands
But you've got to use
Use your own two hands
Use your own
Use your own two hands
With our own
With our own two hands
With my own
With my own two hands
(Jack Johnson)