The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) and GoodSAM have collaborated to launch a new register for water rescue equipment that will officially launch at the World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2023, which takes place in Perth, Western Australia, from Monday 4 to Thursday 7 December 2023.

The Water Rescue Equipment  Register has been incorporated into the GoodSAM app and the public can plot Public Rescue Equipment (PRE), including Perry Buoys, rescue poles, and throw lines along the rivers, canals, coast and waterways anywhere in the world. Once the equipment has been registered and verified, a map gets populated with the details of the precise location, type of equipment and any unique or distinguishing details. It is then used by the emergency services or first responders in the case of an emergency incident, reducing precious time wasted locating lifesaving rescue equipment and providing a higher chance of a successful outcome to the rescue.

The World Conference on Drowning Prevention 2023, co-hosted by Royal Life Saving Society – Australia (RLSS) and Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA), is the ideal venue to showcase the launch, as it is an official International Life Saving Federation event, and will be attended by lifesaving experts and delegates from around the world. The overall aim for the 2023 conference is Shaping Global Strategy and Mobilising for Action – specifically regarding drowning prevention.

As the UK and Ireland's leading provider of lifesaving and lifeguarding training, qualifications and awards, the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is well-positioned to collaborate with GoodSAM on the Water Rescue Equipment Register and the lifesaving map. The RLSS UK’s role will be instrumental in providing instructions on how to use the equipment, liaising with landowners and local authorities if water rescue equipment is missing or damaged, promoting the app, and encouraging RLSS UK members, volunteers, supporters and candidates to help populate the map.

GoodSAM was launched in 2013 and founded by Professor Mark Wilson and Ali Ghorbangholi to change the response to cardiac arrest radically. It is an app-based system that alerts registered individuals trained in lifesaving skills to the occurrences of incidents in their locality so that they can attend while an ambulance is en route. Today, on average, a trained responder is deployed every three minutes to a cardiac arrest, and the app is also home to the world's largest defibrillator registry. Now, the application is helping to plot more lifesaving equipment, including bleed kits, fire equipment, and water rescue equipment.

Nick Grazier, Senior Head of Commercial Projects & Partnerships at RLSS UK, said: “This map is a game-changer for open water rescue; not only does it support the emergency services and GoodSAM responders to assist in the case of an emergency, but with the opportunity for app users to report damaged or broken water rescue equipment, we can work with landowners and local authorities to ensure that the equipment is fit for purpose and rescue – ready.

You don’t need to have an account to register water safety equipment, so we would urge everyone to register water rescue equipment near them, as this provides the best chance of saving lives. Anybody with a RLSS UK National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), First Aid at Work or Emergency First Aid at Work qualification to can also register with GoodSAM, and join the 1 million users in the UK who have already become a GoodSAM responder who are alerted if there is an emergency incident near them.

Jo Talbot, Commercial Director at RLSS UK, said, “We are incredibly proud to partner with GoodSAM and add to the vital work already achieved by the army of volunteers contributing worldwide.

This type of project has been a desire for the charity for a long time, and it is so rewarding that it is coming to fruition.

The World Drowning Prevention Conference is the ideal event to launch this partnership and introduce lifesavers to the new function on the app, as the app is available worldwide and accidental drowning is a global issue.”

Professor Mark Wilson from GoodSAM said, “We are delighted for RLSS UK to be collaborating with us on the water rescue equipment map; they have been at the forefront of lifeguard training, lifesaving and water safety education for a very long time and by working together, we can build on the excellent work that they already do and make rivers, lakes and bodies of open water even safer for all.”

“The Water Rescue Equipment Registry is available now in the GoodSAM app and I look forward to Perry Buoy icons appearing worldwide on the Water Rescue Equipment - Life Saving Map.”