Lifesaving - "Survive & Save"

Welcome to “Survive & Save’ the RLSS UK National Lifesaving Awards programme.

“Survive & Save” is the lifesaving standard. There are Bronze, Silver and Gold Levels for you to take part in. Each level has four award areas to achieve, the Medallion Awards (pool), the Beach Awards, the Stillwater Awards and the Sport Awards, and you can choose to specialise in one area or learn a broader range of skills by completing multiple awards.

The highest achievement in the Survive & Save Programme is the Distinction Award, which is awarded by the Royal Life Saving Society UK to those who achieve 3 Gold Level awards within a 24 month period.

You may choose any one of Medallion (pool), Beach, Stillwater or Sport programmes as areas to specialize in for each medal category. The awards are challenging but fun to complete and open to anyone over the age of 12 years, including adults. They continue the development of your lifesaving skills as you progress through the awards.

The awards teach lifesaving rescue, self-rescue, survival, and lifesaving sport skills, and also develop swimming ability and fitness. They develop knowledge about water hazards from different types of water, life support skills, first aid and how to manage an emergency situation. All essential life skills

You can complete just one or all four of the specialist areas before you move on to the next medal.  “Survive & Save” is an interesting, stimulating, challenging and rewarding set of awards that will equip you with the tools to not only save your own life, but maybe someone else’s!

The Bronze Medallion Lifesaving Award introduces you to Beach and Open Water skills but trains you in your local pool. This a fantastic entry level into the “Survive & Save” Awards programme because it informs and challenge you with basic Rescue, Self-Rescue and Survive techniques along with water Hazards including Rivers and Quarry Pools along with the Sea and Coast environments

The Silver Medallion Award will review Bronze Award elements and then take you into rescue scenarios where you will be introduced to working with an Emergency Action Model. On the theory side you will learn about water bed shelving in lakes and reservoirs.

Another key area of the Medallion module deals with the issues that flooding presents. In the pool your physical rescues will be tested with various towing techniques as well as landing a casualty, and the aftercare that is required. Silver Medallion builds on your previous “Survive & Save” award but takes you to a more physically and mentally demanding area lifesaving.

The Gold Medallion Lifesaving Awards is a more advanced course will take you to the peak of the “Survive and Save” Awards programme because it will test and challenge you with on the advance Rescue, Self-Rescue and Survival techniques you will acquire along with advanced knowledge regarding water Hazards including River, Quarry Pools and sea and Coast environment.