Pool life-saving is about to be transformed thanks to a new rescue training aid launching this month.

Europe’s leading manufacturer of rescue training manikins, Ruth Lee Ltd, is launching a Pool Rescue Manikin on Friday, June 29th at the Royal Life Saving Society UK’s (RLSS UK) Annual Conference in Hinckley, Leicestershire.

In the UK, drowning is one of the leading causes of accidental death in children and every year in the UK and Ireland more than 700 people drown. Hundreds more have near-drowning experiences, sometimes suffering life-changing injuries.

The RLSS is responsible for training around 45,000 lifeguards each year – a vital service to tackle these figures.

Ruth Lee, which is based in Corwen, North Wales, is a leader in the design and manufacture of rescue training manikins and has worked with a number of industry specialists, including the RNLI and Royal Navy to design the best products for the water rescue sector.

In developing the Pool Rescue Manikin, Ruth Lee has worked closely with the RLSS UK to create a training dummy which brings together different elements of lifeguard training, allowing trainees to seamlessly practice different techniques.

Paul McDonnell, Managing Director of Ruth Lee, said:

“We have developed the Pool Rescue Manikin after feedback from a customer who is a pool lifeguard. She wanted to find a manikin which would allow her to teach several skills using one product, making for a much more realistic training scenario.

“At the moment, the process of training pool rescue is somewhat disjointed, with a mixture of training aids and live volunteers being used. Using one manikin for all elements of the training will inevitably lead to improved skills.

“Our product has undergone rigorous testing and the RLSS have been instrumental in its development. Saving lives is a subject very close to our hearts and the leading driver in all the products we create.

“We are passionate about the need for continual innovation and product development and have further exciting opportunities to expand and diversify the business.”

The Pool Rescue dummy complements the company’s range of water rescue manikins, which also includes a Surf Rescue Manikin suitable for jet-ski rescue training and a Man Overboard Manikin used extensively around the world by Navies, coastguards and other Maritime organisations.