Knott End coastguards' 18ft long inflatable rib-craft has been involved in numerous life-saving incidents in the estuary and Morecambe Bay - including as a back-up vessel during the the 2004 disaster when 23 Chinese cocklepickers drowned off the shore at Bolton-le-Sands.
But a review by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) has decided the boat is no longer needed at Knott End, claiming there is sufficient emergency cover provided by Fleetwood lifeboat.
The decision has angered residents in the closely-knit seaside village where councillors are now demanding a re-think.
Knott End mayor Coun Phil Orme said local coastguards had been barred from speaking to the press, but having heard their concerns he had decided to speak out.
Coun Orme accused the MCA of "penny pinching and putting lives at risk" by the decision.
He said said the Knott End rib-boat had advantages over the much larger Fleetwood lifeboat, as it can be taken by trailer along the coastal roads and narrow lanes next to the rivers and the bay coastline, where it could access creeks and gullies.
Wyre Coun Viv Taylor, whose late father Ramsay Taylor served as senior auxiliary coastguard at Knott End for many years, said: "There has been a rib-boat at Knott End for over 30 years, with a long and proud service. I am very disappointed and will do everything within my power to get this decision reversed."
Coastguard officer at Knott End John Bradbury, who last week met Wyre MP Ben Wallace to discuss the situation, said he was cautious about speaking in public but said the issue boiled down to funding and commitment at government level.
The Courier put the concerns expressed by Couns Orme and Taylor to the MCA. Its spokesman Mark Clark said a risk assessment had shown that response times for the Fleetwood lifeboat and the Knott End rib-boat were the same.
He added: "The agency is therefore satisfied that first line rescue units (i.e. lifeboats and helicopters) are able to provide full rescue coverage in this area."
He said the Knott End boat had been "notionally still deployed for rescue purposes" but had been downgraded to "additional facility" status some years ago. Four other similar boats to the one at Knott End, based at various coastguard stations around the country, have also been stood down because they don't meet the criteria for RNLI "at sea" rescue operations.
Mr Clark continued: "Rescuers go into harm's way to reach people in trouble and bring them to safety. They should only do this when their training and equipment is of the highest standard.
"On those occasions where we find the equipment is below standard, we will take all the necessary steps to ensure that our volunteers (and those they help) are not put at unnecessary risk."
He said the national review of general purpose boats was continuing and consultations would continue before any decisions were taken.
Coun Orme says he will be raising the local concerns over the rib-craft at Monday's meeting of Preesall Town Council. Any member of the public with questions on the issue can speak in the open section of the meeting, which starts at 7pm at St Aidan's College, Cartgate, Preesall.
l Comment, page 6.