Rescue Boat Hire: Planning Your Site Cover
Information to prepare when requesting a dedicated recovery craft and crew for planned work on, over or beside water.
Start With the Project Rescue Requirement
A rescue-boat enquiry starts with the work activity and the site-specific recovery arrangements. Tell FPS where people will be working, the water environment and how boat access can be achieved so the requirement can be reviewed before mobilisation.
FPS delivers agreed rescue cover through its Safety Boat Hire service. This page sets out the information to prepare; the service page explains the crewed cover available.
Prepare the Site Brief
Send a site plan or photographs with the work location, launch access and proposed recovery points marked. Include the number of people exposed, operating hours, programme and known water conditions.
Where the project’s RAMS or emergency plan are available, provide the relevant arrangements for coordination. Craft, helm, additional crew and equipment are selected around the agreed requirement; there is no universal setup for every site.
Questions to Resolve Before Booking
Use these questions to assemble an enquiry for FPS and the project team. They help identify the scope to review and do not replace the site’s risk assessment or rescue plan.
Describe the activity taking place on, over or beside the water and the number of people exposed. Include the working positions and whether the activity changes during the programme.
Provide available information about depth, flow, changing levels, visibility and obstructions. Photographs and a site plan help explain the location. Operating limits and the suitability of the craft need to be reviewed for the actual environment.
Identify the proposed launch and recovery points, any available slipway and restrictions on delivery or bankside access. Where direct access is unavailable, the mobilisation method needs to be reviewed before the service is confirmed.
Share the project’s proposed recovery points, communication arrangements and emergency plan with FPS. The boat arrangement should be coordinated with the principal contractor’s RAMS and site controls.
Include the start date, expected duration, operating hours and sequence of work. State whether cover is required during installation, the working phase, dismantling or several phases.
Identify these tasks separately from dedicated rescue cover. For access, transport and project support, see Work Boat Hire. FPS can review the separate requirements within the agreed scope.
Need Rescue or Safety Boat Cover?
Tell us the location, work activity, number of people, water conditions, access and programme and we can review the appropriate rescue or safety boat arrangement.
Call 01253 921 352 or contact FPS Pontoon Hire to discuss your project.
Why Work With FPS?
- Rescue and safety boat arrangements planned around the project-specific risk assessment
- Boat, crew, communications and recovery method selected around the actual site and operating conditions
- UK-wide mobilisation for planned construction, rail, bridge and waterside projects
- Supporting life jackets and water-safety equipment available where required
- Clear distinction between dedicated rescue cover and general work-boat support
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between rescue boat cover and a work boat?
Rescue cover is a dedicated boat and crew that stands by to recover anyone who enters the water. A work boat moves people, materials or a pontoon. Some projects need both, and we keep the two roles separate when planning.
What do you need to know to quote for rescue boat hire?
We need the work activity, the number of people exposed, water conditions (depth, flow, levels, visibility, obstructions), launch and recovery points with photos, operating hours and dates, and the recovery and communication arrangements in your RAMS or emergency plan.
Do you cover the whole UK?
Yes. We mobilise rescue and safety boat cover UK-wide for construction, rail, bridge and waterside projects.
Can you supply life jackets and water-safety equipment too?
Yes. Life jackets and associated water-safety equipment can be included in the hire.
We also offer life jacket hire. Read our guide to water rescue planning for pontoon worksites, or see our commercial boat fleet.
