Lifesaving

This article is about lifesaving activities in general. For lifesaving on beaches, see Surf lifesaving.

Ice rescue training in Canada

Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue however it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. Lifesaving also refers to sport where lifesavers compete skills, speed and team work. Lifesaving activities specialized in oceanic environment is called surf lifesaving or coastal lifesaving.

Those who participate in lifesaving activities as a volunteer are called lifesavers, and those who are employed to perform lifesaving activities are called lifeguards.

HISTORY:

Evanston Life Saving Crew (Evanston, Illinois), 1894

In the 19th century, countries like France with its long history of disaster preparedness, the Netherlands with two thirds of its land below sea level and Britain where swimming pools gained so much popularity, were aware of the danger of water and establishing the methods of drowning prevention and rescue.

In 1891 the Royal Life Saving Society was created to affiliate British and Irish lifesaving and lifeguarding clubs. It expanded its operations to Canada and Australia in 1894.

The first international lifesaving conference was held in Marseilles, France in 1878, but it was not until 1910 that the first international lifesaving organization, FIS (Fédération Internationale de Sauvetage Aquatique), was founded. FIS members included Algeria, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Poland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tunisia and Turkey.

In 1913 the DLRG was founded in Germany.

In 1971 Australia, Great Britain, New Zealand, South Africa and the United States founded another international organization called World Life Saving (WLS).

FIS and WLS merged into a new organization, International Life Saving Federation (ILS) in 1993 with its headquarters in Leuven, Belgium.

Competitive lifesaving is carried out widely in the UK, with great clubs including Derby Phoenix Lifesaving and Crawley. Competitions at university level are organised through BULSCA.

Lifesaving has progressed significantly becoming a modern and widely known sport and occupation.

Activities

Boy scouts taking a lifesaving lesson. Chiba, Japan

Surf lifesaving developed in Australia and is often simply called "lifesaving". It focuses on drowning prevention and rescue in a coastal setting. General lifesaving does not limit its activities to beaches - its aim is to promote water safety around ponds, lakes, rivers, in the home and in any other applicable environments. This is why landlocked countries like Switzerland, Austria, Kazakhstan, Macedonia, Serbia, Azerbaijan, Czech Republic and Slovakia, are also full members of ILS.

Lifesavers are volunteers and usually stationed at a club house. They provide training for lifesaver/lifeguard qualifications as well as educating the general public.

Sport

Life saving has become a growing sport in many countries. The sport can be played indoors in swimming pools or outside on beaches, in the same way that you get pool lifeguards and beach lifeguards. Life saving sport is the only sport in the world that has a humanitarian purpose; to train better life savers and life guards.

The World Governing body for life saving sport is the International Life Saving Federation. Each nation within has a national governing body. In some nations (including the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand) there are numerous governing bodies associated to the International Life Saving Federation. This is often due to various components of life saving within a nation being focused on by separate organisations. (e.g. Royal Life Saving Society focusing mainly on pool safety and Surf Life Saving Association focusing on beach safety.)

Every two years the International Life Saving Federation organises the Lifesaving World Championships, called 'Rescue' Series.

See also

• Commonwealth Pool Lifesaving Championships
• International Life Saving Federation
• Lifeguard
• Royal Life Saving Society UK
• Royal Life Saving Society Australia
• Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth
• Royal Life Saving Society of Canada
• Surf lifesaving
• United States Lifesaving Association
• Rashtriya Life Saving Society (India)

References

• International Lifesaving Federation