The International Life Saving Federation (ILS) is an organisation for drowning prevention, water safety,
lifesaving
Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. ...
The International Life Saving Federation (ILS) comprises over 130 national life saving organisations/federations aiming at improving water safety, drowning prevention, water rescue, lifesaving and lifeguarding and lifesaving sport.
The supreme authority of ILS is the General Assembly on which member organisations are represented. The Elective General Assembly elects a board of directors. The board of directors conducts the business of ILS between meetings of the General Assembly and is chaired by the President. The General Secretariat (Headquarters) is located in Leuven (Belgium) and houses the administration.
ILS has four regional branches, in Africa, the Americas, Asia-Pacific and Europe. They initiate, supervise and coordinate regional activities.
ILS commissions are composed of committees and working groups responsible for the management, development and technical aspects of each major ILS field of activity.
ILS cooperates with partner organisations, governments, non-government organisations (NGOs) and sponsors to promote lifesaving worldwide.
Lifesaving sport
Lifesaving sport disciplines
As of July 2013, lifesaving sport (also known as competitive lifesaving) at the international level consists of the following disciplines – 100m Manikin Tow with Fins, 100m Obstacle Swim (Masters), 100m Rescue Medley, 200m Obstacle Swim, 200m Super Lifesaver, 4x25m Manikin Relay, 4x50m Medley Relay, 4x50m Obstacle Relay, 50m Manikin Carry, Line Throw, Simulated Emergency Response Competition (SERC), 100m Manikin Carry with Fins, Beach Flags, Beach Relay, Beach Run, Beach Sprint, Board Race, Board Relay, Board Rescue,
Inflatable Rescue Boat
Inflatable Rescue Boats (IRBs) are rubber boats with an outboard motor used in surf lifesaving. IRBs have been used for all forms of surf rescue, retrieval, and service by Surf Lifesaving in New Zealand, Australia, and Del Mar, California since t ...
Surf ski
A surfski (or: "surf ski", "surf-ski") is a type of kayak in the kayaking "family" of paddling craft. It is generally the longest of all kayaks and is a performance oriented kayak designed for speed on open water, most commonly the ocean, althoug ...
Race, Surf Ski Relay and Surf Teams Race.
Lifesaving World championships
The Lifesaving World Championships which are known as the 'Rescue' series (i.e. Rescue 2008), are organised by the ILS every two years. The World Championships consist of National Teams World Championships, Interclub Teams World Championships, Masters World Championships, Surfboats World Championships and IRB World Championships. Additional championships can include events such as March Past and Long Distance Race. The World Championships attract between 3,000 and 5,000 competitors and officials, and are conducted over a period of 12 to 14 days.
Other international events
As of July 2013, lifesaving sport (both pool and beach-surf) is included in the following international events:
*The
World Games
The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
which are organised by the
International World Games Association
The International World Games Association, abbreviated as IWGA, is an international association, recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC), that organises every four years, beginning in 1981, the multi-sport event called The World Ga ...
(IWGA) every four years in the year immediately following the
Summer Olympic Games
The Summer Olympic Games (french: link=no, Jeux olympiques d'été), also known as the Games of the Olympiad, and often referred to as the Summer Olympics, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inau ...
.
*The
Military World Games
The Military World Games is a multi-sport event for military sportspeople, organized by the International Military Sports Council (CISM). They have been held since 1995, although championships for separate sports had been held for some years. A w ...
which are organised by the
International Military Sports Council
The International Military Sports Council (IMSC) or Conseil International du Sport Militaire (CISM), is an international sports association, established in 1948 and headquartered in Brussels. It is the world's second-largest multi-discipline sport ...
(CISM) every four years,
*The
World Masters Games
The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mast ...
which are sponsored by the
International Masters Games Association
The World Masters Games is an international multi-sport event held every four years which, in terms of competitor numbers, has developed into the largest of its kind. Governed by the International Masters Games Association (IMGA), the World Mast ...
Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth The Royal Life Saving Society - Commonwealth is the umbrella organisation that links together lifesaving societies in the Commonwealth of Nations. The RLSS-Commonwealth organises the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships. The Society hosts the Qui ...
every two years,
*The Military Swimming and Lifesaving World Championships are held bi-annually by the CISM as part of the Military World Championships.
Certification
The ILS issues certificates to qualified persons who wish for international recognition for their level of training where this meets the minimum internationally recognised competencies published by ILS. As of July 2013, certificates are available for the following training levels: Junior Lifesaver, Lifesaver, Lifeguard Pool, Lifeguard Inland Open Water, Lifeguard Surf, Instructor Junior Lifesaver, Instructor Lifesaver, Instructor Pool Lifeguard, Instructor Inland Open Water Lifeguard, Instructor Surf Lifeguard,
Open Water Diver
Open Water Diver (OWD) is an entry-level autonomous diver certification for recreational scuba diving. Although different agencies use different names, similar entry-level courses are offered by all recreational diving agencies and consist of a co ...
,
Rescue Diver
Rescue Diver is a scuba diving certification level provided by several diver training agencies, such as PADI, SSI, SDI, and NAUI,Rescue Dive Master, Instructor 1 Rescue Dive, Instructor 2 Rescue Dive, Instructor 3 Rescue Dive, Rescue Boat Crew, Rescue Boat Driver,
Jet ski
Jet Ski is the brand name of a personal watercraft (PWC) manufactured by Kawasaki, a Japanese company. The term is often used generically to refer to any type of personal watercraft used mainly for recreation, and it is also used as a verb to ...
Operator, AED Certificates, Instructor AED, K9 Certificate and K9 Instructor.
Recognition, affiliations and agreements
Organisations which recognise ILS as the international federation for lifesaving sport include the
International Olympic Committee
The International Olympic Committee (IOC; french: link=no, Comité international olympique, ''CIO'') is a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is constituted in the form of an association under the Swiss ...
(IOC),
SportAccord
Global Association of International Sports Federations (GAISF) is the umbrella organisation for all (Olympic and non-Olympic) international sports federations as well as organisers of multi-sports games and sport-related international association ...
, the
World Games
The World Games are an international multi-sport event comprising sports and sporting disciplines that are not contested in the Olympic Games. They are usually held every four years, one year after a Summer Olympic Games, over the course of 11 d ...
and the
World Anti-Doping Agency
The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA; french: Agence mondiale antidopage, AMA) is a foundation initiated by the International Olympic Committee based in Canada to promote, coordinate, and monitor the fight against drugs in sports. The agency's key ...
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques
Confédération Mondiale des Activités Subaquatiques (CMAS) is an international federation that represents underwater activities in underwater sport and underwater sciences, and oversees an international system of recreational snorkel and scu ...
(CMAS) signed on 21 October 1994 regarding recognition of the ILS rescue diver and instructor certification program.
Members
ILS membership which consists of 100 national federations, includes the following organisations:
Royal Life Saving Society Australia
The Royal Life Saving Society of Australia (RLSSA) is a water safety, swimming and lifesaving education organisation in Australia. RLSSA provides courses in water safety, lifesaving and resuscitation.
See also
*Royal Life Saving Society UK
*Roya ...
,
Surf Life Saving Australia
Surf Life Saving Australia (SLSA) is an Australian not-for-profit community organisation that promotes water safety and provides surf rescue services.
SLSA strives to create a safe environment on Australia's beaches and coastline through patro ...
,
Lifesaving Society
The Royal Life Saving Society Canada, commonly known as the Lifesaving Society or LSS, is a Canadian registered charity that works to prevent water-related injuries through various programs across Canada. The Lifesaving Society is an independent ...
,
Royal Life Saving Society Commonwealth The Royal Life Saving Society - Commonwealth is the umbrella organisation that links together lifesaving societies in the Commonwealth of Nations. The RLSS-Commonwealth organises the Commonwealth Lifesaving Championships. The Society hosts the Qui ...
Royal Life Saving Society UK
The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a drowning prevention charity founded in 1891 in the UK. It has had Royal Patronage since 1904.
History
The Royal Life Saving Society UK is a national charity, founded in 1891 by William Henry, with the aim of ...
,
Royal National Lifeboat Institution
The Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) is the largest charity that saves lives at sea around the coasts of the United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland, the Channel Islands, and the Isle of Man, as well as on some inland waterways. It i ...
,
United States Lifesaving Association
The United States Lifesaving Association is a nonprofit professional association of beach lifeguards and open water rescuers in the United States.
History
The United States Lifesaving Association's predecessor organization was founded in 1956 ...
, Royal Spanish Livesaving Association () and
YMCA
YMCA, sometimes regionally called the Y, is a worldwide youth organization based in Geneva, Switzerland, with more than 64 million beneficiaries in 120 countries. It was founded on 6 June 1844 by George Williams in London, originally ...
of the US.
See also
*
List of world records in life saving
The world records in Lifesaving (sport), life saving are ratified by International Life Saving Federation, ILS, the International Life Saving Federation. Records can be set by registered competitors in the open category, as well as in youth and ma ...
*
World Life Saving Championships
The ILS World Life Saving Championships are the world championships for lifesaving sport events. They are sanctioned by the International Life Saving Federation (ILS), conducted every 2 years, and commonly marketed and known as the ‘Rescue’ ser ...
*
Lifeguard
A lifeguard is a rescuer who supervises the safety and rescue of swimmers, surfers, and other water sports participants such as in a swimming pool, water park, beach, spa, river and lake. Lifeguards are trained in swimming and CPR/ AED first a ...
Life Saving
Lifesaving is the act involving rescue, resuscitation and first aid. It often refers to water safety and aquatic rescue; however, it could include ice rescue, flood and river rescue, swimming pool rescue and other emergency medical services. ...