Making ripples in urban and inland flood rescue

Published: 01 April, 2009

MFC’s new motorised sled for urban/inland flood rescue scenarios is causing ripples and it’s now available in the US – as visitors to the FDIC in April will find out. Ann Marie Knegt dives right in.

People are increasingly coping with flood situations, and we have certainly seen international demand for flood rescue equipment growing,” says Phil Jones, Operations Director for MFC Survival, based in South Wales, UK.

“Our new motorised rescue sled, the RS15T, is the result of many in-depth conversations with our customers. Based on their requirements, we decided to re-design one of our older models, and ended up with a product that can evacuate 15 people (payload 1200 kilos) at one time in urban and inland flood rescue scenarios.” The sled is also fitted with an integral transom (with a non-return drain port), towing “u” bolts, and it is fully inflatable within minutes.

According to Jones, the stability of the platform is unsurpassed, because of the material used to manufacture the platform, called drop-stitch, an ultra strong fabric consisting of thousands of nylon strands manufactured by Pennel in France. “When the rescue sled is inflated, the material holds as flat as a paving slab, making it extremely stable, and therefore it enables rescuers to easily transport people who are wheelchair-bound without any issues. The maximum speed when fully laden is 11 knots with a 15 HP engine, but at its fastest with two people it can reach 23 knots.”
Transportation and storage is easy, states Jones, as the total weight of the sled is a mere 56 kilos, and the sled can be folded up into a valise. The RS15T can operate in a minimum depth of 40 cm. In addition, the rescue sled features stowage pockets, control line patches, internal and external lifelines.

Jones explains that MFC Survival has also launched a new man-over-board system, consisting of a cradle carried on the side of the boat, which can carry casualties. Jones says that this new system is half the weight of similar products on the market. “When firefighters come to us, and say we have a problem, we try to solve that problem for them, and therefore provide customised solutions, which is uncommon in our industry. At the moment, we have sold over 100 rescue sleds in the UK. The sled has been introduced in the US through our American distributor Team Equipment – based in Florida – who will be exhibiting our range at the FDIC in Indianapolis.”

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