31/01/2024

Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has committed to supporting the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK)’s new collaboration with GoodSAM’s lifesaving app – to ensure everyone remains safe around water.  

The GoodSAM app allows people to register lifesaving equipment for first responders to search for in a medical emergency. But thanks to the collaboration, the app now includes the facility to register water rescue equipment.  
 
The new app feature means first responders can locate the nearest water rescue equipment to them, and the public can report any damaged or lost equipment along or near waterways, which could prove vital in rescuing someone in difficulty in the water. 
 
Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service has endorsed the Water Rescue Equipment Register launch by registering their 10 throw lines around Northamptonshire and encouraging residents and visitors to play their part in keeping the local community safe. 
 
An average of 304 UK and Irish citizens lose their lives to accidental drowning each year, with more people drowning inland than at the coast, so responders knowing exactly where water rescue equipment is located, is vital.  
 
Keen to back the new lifesaving initiative, Darren Carson, Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service Prevention Team Lead said: “This is a fantastic initiative and one that we are keen to support. We currently chair the County Water Safety Forum, bringing together relevant organisations with the aim of understanding key water risks in Northamptonshire and developing a consistent approach to the prevention of drowning, water-related deaths, and unintentional injuries in and around water.  
 
“As part of our work, we secured funding from Northamptonshire’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and West Northamptonshire Council for throw lines which have been set up in prominent locations around the county’s waterways. 

“Adding these to the GoodSAM app will enable residents and visitors to locate the nearest life-saving equipment quickly and hopefully help to reduce the number of waters rescues the fire service attend.  
 
“Our next steps will be to help promote the GoodSAM Water Rescue Equipment Register through our partners and raise awareness of the invaluable contribution the GoodSAM app could have in keeping our communities safe.” 
 
Nick Grazier, Senior Head of Commercial Projects & Partnerships at RLSS UK, said: “This map is a game-changer for community safety; 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. 
 
“We appreciate the support of Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service and are thankful that they are helping to spread the word amongst their partners; this really will save lives.” 
 
Professor Mark Wilson OBE from GoodSAM added: “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.”  
 
RLSS UK is encouraging its members, volunteers, and lifesavers, as well as members of the public who have appropriate qualifications and knowledge, to register on the GoodSAM app to become first responders. In addition to this, the charity and GoodSAM are asking their ambassadors and members of the public to register any water rescue equipment within their local community to ensure that it’s logged on the app to help people when in need. 

If you see becoming a first responder in your sights, RLSS UK offers first aid qualifications; further details are available on the RLSS UK website. 
 
Learn how to register water rescue equipment on the app