Swift water rescue training

Our flood rescue volunteers undergo extensive and regular swift water rescue training to ensure their safety in this unfamiliar, diverse and high-risk environment.

First, it's a pre-requisite that all RNLI Flood Rescue Team members are competent RNLI lifeboat crew.

Through their training they become Flood Water Rescue Technicians and/or Flood Water Rescue Boat Operators.

The swift water rescue training simulates the conditions they could face in flood waters and rivers and involves:

• negotiating swift and rising flood water

• operating a lifeboat in fast-flowing water

• manoeuvring the lifeboat in narrow spaces similar to the streets of a town

• dealing with submerged hazards

• performing rescues from weirs safely, using two boats

• defensive rescue swimming in white water

• wading in shallow, moving water

• throwbag rescues

• navigation

• communications

• technical rope work

• reconnaissance techniques

• mapping and survival skills.

Regular training exercises allow the team to practice these specialist skills so that they are always ready for a flooding emergency.

See the team in action in our flood rescue training video gallery.