Life saving skills in the water

This month is a focus on lifesaving for our swim team, to cover a lot of the skills needed for our advanced syllabus.

Here is an interesting history of some of the equipment you will see being used this month.

The Rescue Tube

The Origins of the Rescue Flotation Device RFD

In the late 1930s, Santa Monica (CA) Lifeguard Pete Peterson invented the “rescue tube” so that lifeguards had more control over their victims in the surf. The Peterson Rescue Flotation Device (RFD) is made of foam and vinyl and has a brass clip system which allows a rescuer to secure the tube around a victim, making it the most versatile RFD for a rescue swimmer.

“Burnside Rescue Buoy,” or The "Baywatch" or "Torpedo Bouy"

The famous "Baywatch" rescue can owes its origins to Bob Burnside.

Robert “Bob” Burnside had a saying: Once a lifeguard, always a lifeguard.

Even years after he retired as Los Angeles County Fire Department Lifeguard chief, the ocean legend could never take his eyes off the water when he visited the beach, searching for anyone who might be struggling in the sea. Burnside was a record-breaking, competitive swimmer in his high school years before he was hired as a Los Angeles County lifeguard in 1951. He took on the role of chief lifeguard for the Los Angeles County fire dept. in 1967, a tenure that lasted until he retired in 1983

One of Burnside’s greatest accomplishments was the development of the can rescue buoy, dubbed the “Burnside Rescue Buoy,” still used at beaches around the globe. Also known as the rescue can or torpedo buoy.

“That became the symbol of ‘Baywatch.’ The opening of the show, you see this rescue can being spun,” said Verge of the hit TV series based on Malibu lifeguards. “It became the symbol of lifeguarding worldwide.”

Former L.A Fire dept. lifeguard Chief Robert "Bob" Burnside in a dramatic shot in a  rescue boat

How to use the RFD

The RFD is used to raise a victim’s chest and head out of the water while putting them in a more hydrodynamic position to be towed through the water. An RFD is easily deployable on the run and can be used in a variety of ways to effect rescue. The torpedo buoy (Burnside buoy) and the rescue tube (Peterson tube) are the two most widely used RFDs and both have universal components to their designs.

Buoyancy: An RFD should float at least one adult victim head out of the water.

Lanyard: The line should float and be 7-9 feet in length, giving the rescuer the ability to push the RFD towards a panicking victim at a safe distance and giving time to employ defensive tactics if required. (3).

Harness: The shoulder harness is used to secure the RFD to the lifeguard. It should be sized correctly, quick to put on and easy to remove when the line has tension, as happens when the RFD is hung-up on structures or debris during operations around rock jetties or under bridges and piers. Rescue swimmers should practice removing the harness under tension.

RFD Colour: The RFD is usually bright red or yellow so that the device can be easily seen by a rescuer and targeted by a victim.

Both the torpedo buoy and rescue tube are considered standard rescue equipment under NFPA 1006. 

In Evans swim school we use a syllabus derived from the UK Royal lifesaving society and the American Red cross, along with other international resources to give our advanced swim team members practical skills in case they ever need to use them.

This is part of the TRIDENT philosophy of the swim team, of combining swim race training, water polo and lifesaving skills to build a well rounded and accomplished aquatic athlete.