As a company, FunAir is committed to engineering the highest quality inflatables globally, that are robust in all conditions, and quick to deploy and return for our yacht captains, and crew. Our commitment to excellence is why The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) reached out to FunAir to develop and test Rescue SeaStairs to be used on board lifeboats across the UK and Ireland during serious rescue situations out on the water.
Following a development and testing period the Rescue SeaStairs entered service with the RNLI and were rapidly utilised in emergency rescue operations, helping to save lives in peril on the sea.
What is the RNLI?
The RNLI is a charity that operates in the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man to save lives at sea. The organisation patrols waterways and coastlines and assists people in distress with lifeboat search and rescue, as well as training lifeguards and providing water safety education. Primarily operated by volunteers, the RNLI has been in operation since 1824 and has recovered countless individuals who found themselves in distress in the water. They are considered the gold standard for life saving at sea, and work tirelessly to innovate the equipment and processes used in all water rescue situations.
What are the FunAir Rescue SeaStairs?
The FunAir SeaStairs are traditionally used on superyachts and are a patented inflatable that allows people to easily exit the water onto a platform or vessel. SeaStairs are designed for children and adults of all ages and abilities. They can be used as a standalone accessory that tethers to your vessel, or paired with any of our inflatable platforms, watercraft docks and Sea Pools.
After discussions with the RNLI, FunAir re-engineered the SeaStairs to create a tool that allows lifeguards to successfully rescue people from the ocean in extreme conditions, significantly reducing the risk for all people involved.
Simon Ling, Head of Lifeboats at RNLI, shared how this inflatable will be an incredible tool for the organisation to use. “This is a game-changing piece of lifesaving equipment. We have simulated different mass rescue scenarios and the Rescue SeaStairs enable our crews to recover large numbers of people from the water at high speed – which in a rescue situation could be the difference between life and death.”
The RNLI recognised the possibilities of the FunAir SeaStairs for saving many lives in treacherous sea conditions. Following months of testing, the original SeaStairs inflatable was adapted to the specific needs of RNLI crews and the bespoke Rescue SeaStairs design is now available to coastguards, life-saving teams, and lifeboat associations globally. It can quickly be deployed and thanks to its ergonomic design and non-slip surface, the inflatable Rescue SeaStairs can be utilised by people with varying physical abilities, allowing them to quickly move out of harm’s way.
The Rescue SeaStairs have been designed in partnership with the RNLI and will be a key tool for its crews to use in waters across the United Kingdom and Ireland. FunAir is proud to play a role in the organisation’s tireless work to save lives at sea.
For more information on the Rescue SeaStairs, visit our product page.
