While CPR manikins are used for training medical professionals, day care workers, and anyone who wants to have this valuable skill, water rescue manikins are more specialized. For the most part, they are used by organizations and people in the emergency response field. Naturally, lifeguards fall into this category, as well as water rescue workers. During and to keep rescue skills sharp, these manikins are designed to simulate an actual emergency. What special features do water rescue manikins have to simulate the kinds of emergencies that come up in the water? Anyone who has ever tried to move another person in the water knows that this feat can be almost impossible if the other person offers any kind of resistance. During a water rescue, unless the victim is unconscious, they tend to be incredibly frightened and resisting rescuers is a common occurrence. Water rescue manikins are designed to help personnel train for this possibility. They are equipped with special tanks that allow for the trainer to fill them with water and in some cases, a brick, to cause the manikin to sink further in the water and be more difficult to move.

Another important feature you will find in the best quality water rescue manikins are the articulated joints. A stiff lifeless body is the last thing you want to find in the water and it is also rather unlikely. To assist in the proper training of crucial water rescue teams, manufacturers have added moveable joints to their manikins. It’s just another way to ensure that training exercises are as close to real life as possible.