Water Rescue Sleds for Emergency Rescue

With the increasing occurence of floods throughout the country over the past few years, Fire & Rescue Services and Water Rescue Teams have been called upon to undertake more and more rescues of people from flooded rovers and flooded urban areas.  Those being rescued are often the most vulnerable such as the elderly, disabled or children and it is crucial to rescue them as quickly as possible.  To ensure both rescue responders and those being rescued are as safe as possible it is vital that appropriate rescue equipment is available to undertake these water rescues.

Many emergency rescue boats currently used may be appropriate for open sea or rapid swift water rescue, but not always suitable for urban flooded areas and vice versa.  MFC Survival has developed its inflatable water rescue sleds to deal with all types of water rescue scenarios.

The RS Series Rescue Sled is a water rescue boat for use in water rescues that occur primarily in rivers, flooded urban and coastal areas, mountains and lakes.  The Rescue Sled is lightweight and portable, both inflated and deflated.  It is easy to manoeuvre, and can be paddled, pulled by hand or towed by a jet ski. 

The Rescue Sled has a flat bottom, making it stable and suitable for use in very shallow water (from only 50mm), and is consequently perfect for use in flood rescue.  The open, low stern assists with casualty recovery, and enables quick rescue of wheelchair users.  Once on the Rescue Sled, individuals can sit on the floor surrounded by high inflatable sides, offering a comfortable and reassuring rescue craft.

The RS Series Rescue Sled is available in four standard sizes; 3, 5, 10 and 15 man.  The 3 and 5 man sleds include a removable bolster and are ideal for swift water rescue.  The 10 and 15 man Sleds have a large floor space and capacity, making them the perfect choice for emergency evauation and flood rescue situations.  The rescue boat is easily launched into the surf zone for sea rescue, with a raised bow for optimum performance in waves.

In some scenarios the strength of water flow and requirement for rapid response will necessitate the use of a powered rescue craft.  For this reason MFC Survival has developed a Motorised Rescue Sled with outboard motor to provide the extra engine power needed and to give rescue teams added confidence in the severest of conditions.

The RS 10 and 15T Motorised Rescue Sleds have an integral marine ply transome with a non return drain port and towing 'U' bolts.  Fully inflatable in minutes using standard BA cylinders, they provide a completely stable and manoeuvrable safe working platform.  Motorised Rescue Sleds can be supplied with or without an outboard motor as required.

The RST range weigh around half that of equivalent inflatable rescue boats.  This makes them easily transportable to the rescue scene, and means they only require a small outboard motor.

The RST is ideally suited for use on inland waterways and as a means of transporting people from flooded urban areas, especially where mass evacuation is needed.  Another Rescue Sled can easily be towed for increased rescue capacity.  The RST range is also suitable for fast flowing river rescue and can be accurately control line positioned where required.  The shall draught enables the RST Motorised Rescue Sled to be used in shallow waters of approximately 40cm depth.

In trials the motorised rescue sled achieved 11 knots fully loaded and 20 knots with a crew of 2 (fitted with a 15hp 2-stroke outboard motor c/w propguard).  The performance only dropped to 8 knots when a fully loaded RS 15T towed a fully loaded RS 10.

The MFC Survival Rescue Sled is a versatile piece of water rescue equipment and has been used by many rescue teams, including Fire and Rescue Services, Water Rescue Teams, the Environment Agency, Police Divers, the RNLI, the Marine and Coastguard Agency, Mountain Rescue Teams and Airports.

For more information about the MFC Survival rescue boats email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or call us on 01443 433075.

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