Modern Water Rescue: More Than Just a Rescue Service
DLRG, Wasserwacht, RLSS UK – they all share the same goal: fewer drowning deaths. Despite different structures and national frameworks, they have spent decades jointly developing the standards that swimming education and water rescue worldwide are built on.
What unites them: they no longer see themselves purely as rescue services. They are educational institutions, safety organisations and key players in public health – all in one. The WHO puts it plainly: swimming and water safety programmes are one of the most effective measures for preventing drowning accidents.
Their shared principle: the best rescue is the one that never has to happen.
DLRG: The World's Largest Water Rescue Organisation
The Deutsche Lebens-Rettungs-Gesellschaft (DLRG) was founded in 1913 – triggered by a tragedy: in 1912, numerous people drowned in a bathing accident on the Baltic Sea because almost no one was able to help. Since then, the DLRG has grown into the world's largest water rescue organisation. Its guiding principle: the best rescue is the one that never takes place. That's why the organisation invests heavily in swimming education for children, young people and adults.
The DLRG's training philosophy is built on a step-by-step competency model:
Move safely in the water → Know water hazards → Self-rescue → Rescuing others
This structure follows the recommendations of the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), which holds that safe swimmers can be progressively trained into competent water rescuers.
Crucially, the DLRG doesn't just train for swimming pools. Currents, temperature changes, weather shifts, natural bodies of water – all of this is part of the training. Because that's exactly where most fatal water accidents happen. Every year, volunteer DLRG rescue teams carry out thousands of operations at coasts, lakes and inland waterways – and every experience feeds directly back into their training standards.
Another defining feature of DLRG training is the combination of practical experience and scientific insight. Accident statistics, operational analyses and international research are regularly reviewed to keep training programmes up to date. That's what makes the DLRG one of the world's most respected institutions in drowning prevention.
Wasserwacht: Where Water Rescue Meets Disaster Response
The Wasserwacht is the water rescue organisation of the German Red Cross (DRK), with over a century of history. As part of one of the world's largest humanitarian organisations, it combines water rescue with the core principles of the Red Cross: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and assistance in emergencies.
Unlike many other water rescue organisations, the Wasserwacht is deeply embedded in Germany's disaster response infrastructure. Beyond classic water rescue, its remit includes flood operations, missing persons searches, ice rescues and support during large-scale incidents. The Wasserwacht thinks bigger – water rescue as part of a comprehensive safety system.
What makes it stand out: the close integration with medical training. Many Wasserwacht members hold additional qualifications in first aid, emergency medicine or paramedic work. That's no coincidence. International studies show that survival chances after a drowning incident depend significantly on how quickly oxygen deprivation is recognised and life-saving measures are initiated. CPR is now a core competency for professional water rescuers worldwide.
There's also a growing societal challenge: swimming ability is declining across many population groups. The Wasserwacht responds with intensive swimming education for children and young people.
RLSS UK: The Organisation That Reimagined Water Safety
The Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) is one of the most influential organisations in international water safety. Founded in 1891, it was among the first institutions in the world to develop systematic concepts for preventing drowning. Its most important contribution: the concept of Water Safety Education. The core idea is simple and still revolutionary: swimming ability alone doesn't protect you. What matters is the ability to recognise risks early and respond appropriately.
That's why RLSS UK training programmes go far beyond swimming and rescue techniques – covering risk awareness, decision-making under stress, behaviour in open water and emergency management.
Internationally, the RLSS UK is best known for the National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ) – the standard lifeguard certification for swimming pool supervisors in the United Kingdom. It also offers specialist programmes for coastal and open water environments and international rescue operations.
Its most well-known model is the Drowning Chain of Survival: 
Prevention → Hazard recognition → Provide flotation → Remove from water → Aftercare
The key message: successful rescue doesn't begin when a lifeguard intervenes. It begins with looking at the water – with prevention, supervision and early hazard awareness. Many of the RLSS UK's findings have fed into international recommendations from the International Life Saving Federation.
RESTUBE: Safety as an Additional Layer of Protection
RESTUBE takes a different approach from training organisations – and a complementary one. Not training rescue personnel, but developing safety solutions that give every person in the water additional options.
The starting point: many water accidents escalate into life-threatening situations within seconds. Exhaustion, currents, cramps, cold – even experienced swimmers can suddenly need support. In those moments, what often matters isn't the speed of the rescue – it's the ability to buy time.
A quickly deployable buoyancy device gives you exactly that: time. Time to conserve your energy, get your bearings, wait for help. That's not an alternative to swimming ability or lifeguard training. It's an additional layer of protection – and that's exactly what safety researchers mean by the Layered Safety Approach: safety isn't created by a single measure, but by the interaction of several. In water safety, those layers typically include swimming ability, water competency, supervision, lifeguard training, appropriate safety equipment and effective emergency plans.
International drowning prevention guidelines increasingly emphasise the importance of these layered approaches. The WHO notes that technical aids can never replace training or supervision – but can make a valuable additional contribution to risk reduction when integrated into a comprehensive safety concept.
For open water swimmers, SUP riders, sailors, anglers or rescue personnel – an additional buoyancy device can make the difference.
Conclusion: Training, Prevention, Equipment – Only Together It Works
The future of water safety lies in this combination:
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organisations that train
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people who are prepared
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equipment that buys time when it matters most
Water safety is not created by a single measure. DLRG, Wasserwacht and RLSS UK have proven over decades: preventing drowning means investing in education, awareness and prevention – long before a rescue is ever needed. Technological solutions like RESTUBE complement this foundation as an additional layer of protection. Not as a replacement. As an extension.
