Are There Any Lighthouse Keepers Left?

The individuals who work in beacons have a rather exciting job description. They are responsible for the maintenance of the lights inside of these towers, setting the signals they emit, as well as providing assistance to any people who are in trouble.

Sadly, this is a career which has almost become obsolete. The majority of these flashing towers no longer require a person to be present for them to function. Most manually operated beacons have been replaced by fully automated equipment. This means that they are able to run on their own, and only require a small amount of maintenance every couple of weeks.

However, there is still a small handful of beacons that are being run by human hands. Officials in the United States of America declared that the very first beacon built on American soil should also be manned by a full crew of experts. It is the only tower in the States which is run by a team of beacon keepers. There are also a few beacons in Australia that require a keeper. Unfortunately, all towers in Britain were automated in the 1980s.

This is a challenging career path to try to achieve. It requires intense specialisation and the options are incredibly limited.