Lifebuoy with emergency light on a cruise ship
A lifebuoy floating on water

A lifebuoy is a life-saving buoy designed to be thrown to a person in water to provide buoyancy and prevent drowning.[1] Some modern lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater-activated lights to aid rescue at night.

Other names

Other names for "lifebuoy" include:

  • life preserver
  • life ring,[2]
  • lifering
  • lifesaver
  • ring buoy
  • donut
  • safety wheel
  • Perry buoy
  • Kisbee ring[3]

Description

The lifebuoy is usually a ring- or horseshoe-shaped personal flotation device with a connecting line allowing the casualty to be pulled to the rescuer in a boat. They are carried by ships and boats and located beside bodies of water and swimming pools. To prevent vandalism, they are protected by fines (up to £5,000 in the United Kingdom) or imprisonment.

In the United States, Coast Guard approved lifebuoys are considered Type IV personal flotation devices. At least one Type IV PFD is required on all vessels 26 feet or more in length.[4]

In the UK the Royal Life Saving Society considers lifebuoys unsuitable for use in swimming pools because throwing one into a busy pool could injure the casualty or other pool users. In these locations, lifebuoys have been superseded by devices such as the torpedo buoy,[5] a low-drag device developed to be towed by lifeguards to those in danger.

Leonardo da Vinci sketched a concept for a safety wheel, as well as for buoyant shoes and balancing sticks for walking on water.[6]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "The Kisbee Ring". Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  2. ↑ "Boat Life Rings, Ring Buoys". Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  3. ↑ "The Kisbee Ring". Retrieved 2020-10-13.
  4. ↑ "46 CFR 25.25-5 Life Preservers and Other Lifesaving Equipment".
  5. ↑ The Lifeguard. IQL UK Ltd. ISBN 1905008120.
  6. ↑ Wallace, Robert (1972) [1966]. The World of Leonardo: 1452–1519. New York: Time-Life Books. pp. 106–07.
  • Media related to Lifebuoys at Wikimedia Commons
  • The dictionary definition of life jacket at Wiktionary
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