Higher and further education staff urged to learn water rescue skills

Higher and further education staff urged by @RLSSUK to learn water rescue skills

Universities and further education colleges located on, near or feature water, are being urged to train their staff in how to use rescue equipment, to help save lives.

The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK), the leading provider of water safety training and education, has created a new course to give those working on or near water the skills to assist in water rescues, without putting their own lives at risk.

“There are many universities and colleges located close to rivers and canals and some feature bodies of water on campus. When seeing someone in difficulty, people’s first instinct is to enter the water to help, putting themselves in danger. Our new Water Rescue Equipment Training course is specifically designed to teach people how to respond in an emergency situation in a safe way, while maximising the chances of saving the casualty’s life,” says Hannah Wiggins-Bettles, Regional Engagement Manager at RLSS UK.

The two-hour course covers the hazards and dangers of open water, basic rescue techniques, how to use rescue equipment that can be found around waterways across the UK, as well as how to safely improvise where no rescue equipment is available. Participants will also learn how to engage with casualties, identify cold water shock and provide critical information for emergency services.

“When incidents occur, it can be the rescuer who ends up losing their life. Universities and colleges based near water have a moral obligation to ensure their staff know what to do in an emergency situation, protecting their employees and ultimately preventing drownings,” says Wiggins-Bettles.

For more information about RLSS UK’s new Water Rescue Equipment Training course, please visit https://www.rlss.org.uk/water-rescue-equipment-training