Rescue tip board

The fire service is constantly innovating, both in the technical and in the social areas.

Design a solution for the Dutch fire service that guarantees a safe rescue up to 200 metres from shore’. This was the task that the Haaglanden Safety Region came calling on Spark design & innovation with. 

In response, Spark has developed a progressive solution, the Rescue Tip-Board: a fully inflatable life-raft for rescue workers. HONOR Safety & Consultancy played an advisory role in the development process in relation to the safety aspects.

Rescue workers can reach a drowning victim quickly with the inflatable life-raft and provide effective assistance. This increases the chances of survival for the drowning person significantly.

The Rescue Tip-Board is an ergonomic tool that allows rescue workers to pluck drowning victims from shallow water without having to use excessive force. By standing on the back of the raft, the craft tilts. The rescue worker can then easily haul the drowning person out of the water and on board the life-raft by simply holding onto the victim and leaning backwards. In this way, manhandling is reduced to a minimum.

The innovative life-raft is inflated with a compressed air cylinder that is coupled to the craft. The life-raft is towed with the Seabob, a powerful electric jetski. During the design process, various prototypes were developed and tested by the fire service. An earlier version of the life-raft used a polyester board with inflatable edges, but, in the end, it was decided that the final design should be completely inflatable. This has the advantage of making the raft lighter, more compact, easier to fold up and transport and it is cheaper. A valuable addition is the handy storage bag that can be carried on the back.