International resources to download

As sea levels rise and extreme weather becomes more common, communities need to become more resilient to floods. Training helps search and rescue organisations respond safely and effectively to flooding. Here you’ll find resources like the RNLI Flood Safety Manual, full of essential skills and guidance. It is designed for organisations in areas with limited access to equipment and can be adapted to suit local conditions. There is also a free flood safety awareness course, which we developed with Disaster Ready.

We have worked with partners to create an Aquatic Survival programme for low-resource areas. The aim of this programme is to prevent drowning by providing water safety education, teaching people how to save themselves in the water, and teaching people how to save someone else in the water.

The programme includes lessons that can be taught both in the water and in the classroom. The water safety part of the course can be taught without the need to enter the water.

Together with the CIPRB (Centre for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh), we have developed a beach lifeguard course, designed for use in areas without specialist equipment and facilities. You can download our Beach Lifeguard Service Implementation Guide, which helps teams with every aspect of putting a patrol in place, including beach profiling, rescue equipment, recruitment and fundraising. You’ll also find our Beach Lifeguard Manual, which contains essential skills and knowledge for lifeguards.

The Community First Aid Manual covers the principles of first aid, including how to assess a casualty, what to do if a casualty is unconscious, and how to respond to various injuries. Developed with our partners, it is designed for organisations based in low-resource areas with limited access to equipment. It equips people to provide basic first aid in the community, helping injured or unwell people until they receive professional medical attention.

Drowning overwhelmingly affects countries with the fewest resources to prevent it. Many communities struggle because they don’t have access to the rescue equipment they need. These instruction manuals show how to make low-cost, sustainable equipment. For example, a low-cost rescue throwline that can be made by local tailors, and a bottle ring that uses old plastic bottles.

These equipment resources should only be used if a compliant product to a relevant standard is not affordable or attainable.