Rescue 3 International

What Rescue 3 International does

Rescue 3 International is a privately held international accrediting body, founded in 1979 and operating as a division of Calwen Inc from Wilton, California. The company develops, accredits, and maintains technical rescue training curricula across five disciplines — water, rope, boat, ice, and confined space rescue — delivered through a three-tier certification framework: Student Safety & Rescue Courses, Instructor Safety & Rescue Courses, and Instructor Trainer Safety & Rescue Courses. Course standards are aligned with NFPA (U.S.) and DEFRA (U.K.) training levels, and a global steering committee of industry experts provides peer-reviewed oversight of all curriculum changes.

The company operates a digital credentialing infrastructure anchored on a QR-coded ID card system that links to live qualification records (id.rescue3.com), enabling verification of rescuer credentials during multi-agency incidents. Supporting platforms include the Training Provider Database (app.rescue3.com) for course scheduling and accreditation documentation, and a Thinkific-hosted Instructor Update Portal for continuing education. Ancillaries include operational form downloads such as the Water and Flood Incident Manager Handbook.

Rescue 3 earns revenue through course accreditation and qualification fees licensed to a global network of accredited Training Providers (Commercial and Agency), plus optional ID card sales. Pricing for end-student courses is set independently by Training Providers and is not publicly disclosed. The company serves three primary verticals — emergency services and rescue teams, industrial and utilities workers (notably wind, tower, and confined-space contexts), and military personnel — with engagement driven by regulatory compliance needs and multi-agency interoperability requirements. Biennial Instructor Conferences (2028 in Harpers Ferry, WV; 2030 planned) anchor community engagement and recertification across the global instructor base.

Name

Rescue 3 International

Legal name

Calwen Inc

Website

https://rescue3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

Rescue 3 International is a private accrediting body, founded in 1979, that develops and licenses technical rescue training curricula across water, rope, boat, ice, and confined space disciplines to a global Training Provider Network serving emergency services, industrial, and military customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Technical Rescue Training Accreditation

NAICS

Professional and Management Development Training (611430)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Search & Rescue (SAR) & Technical Rescue Training (EDAOAMAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Lifeguard, Water Rescue & Aquatic Safety Training (EDAOAMAJ)

Keywords

• Technical rescue training
• Rescue course accreditation
• Safety training certification
• Confined space rescue
• Water rescue training

Headquarters

HQ city

Wilton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Others

Revenue model

1. Course Accreditation and Qualification Fees: Rescue 3 generates revenue by accrediting courses and issuing qualifications to students who complete training through their global network of Training Providers. The company provides the accreditation framework, course standards, and certification that Training Providers must meet to deliver Rescue 3 courses.
2. ID Card Sales: Optional plastic ID cards with QR codes linking to live qualification records are sold to students who wish to have their credentials verifiable online. Cards include photo and accreditation details.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rescue 3 International is an international accrediting body that develops and accredits technical rescue training courses across five disciplines (water, rope, boat, confined space, ice). It delivers a three-tier certification framework spanning student, instructor, and instructor trainer levels, licenses its curriculum to a global network of Training Providers, and issues QR-coded ID cards and verifiable qualifications to course graduates.

Product overview

Rescue 3 International is an international accrediting body that develops and accredits technical rescue training courses. The company offers a comprehensive three-tier certification framework: Student Safety & Rescue Courses (entry-level training), Instructor Safety & Rescue Courses (train-the-trainer qualifications), and Instructor Trainer Safety & Rescue Courses (advanced instructor certification). Courses span five rescue disciplines: water, rope, boat, confined space, and ice. The company also provides supporting tools including an ID Card system with QR verification, a Training Provider Database portal, and a Qualification Verification System. Ancillary resources include operational forms such as the Water and Flood Incident Manager Handbook. Rescue 3 aligns its curriculum with NFPA and DEFRA training standards to ensure interoperability across agencies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Student Safety & Rescue Courses Entry-level accredited technical rescue training courses covering awareness through advanced rescue operations across five disciplines: water, rope, boat, confined space, and ice rescue. Delivered globally through accredited Training Providers to individuals and organizations operating in high-risk environments.
• Instructor Safety & Rescue Courses Train-the-trainer courses that qualify professionals to teach Rescue 3 curriculum, covering teaching methodologies, assessment requirements, and discipline-specific technical content across all five rescue disciplines (water, rope, boat, confined space, ice).
• Instructor Trainer Safety & Rescue Courses Advanced train-the-trainer courses for the most experienced technical rescuers, enabling them to train and certify new instructors within their discipline across all five rescue disciplines.
• Water Rescue Courses Technical water rescue training covering multiple levels from awareness through advanced operations, including flood and whitewater rescue scenarios.
• Rope Rescue Courses Comprehensive rope rescue training from basic height safety through technical rope operations including low angle, steep angle, high angle, and tower rescue. Courses include SWAH (Safe Work at Height), CWRH, RRO, RRT, RRS, TWR, and FDLA variants.
• Boat Rescue Courses Boat-based rescue and safety training delivered as one of Rescue 3's five core disciplines at multiple certification levels (student, instructor, instructor trainer).
• Confined Space Rescue Courses Training for safe work and rescue operations in confined spaces, covering hazard assessment, gas detection, SCBA use, and complex rescue techniques. Courses include SWCS1, SWCS2, CSRO, CSER1, CSER2, CSRT, CSRS, BAM, and AMQP variants.
• Ice Rescue Courses Specialized ice rescue and safety training developed with Canadian experts (Raven Rescue), covering field safety, technician, and advanced technician levels for working safely on ice and rescuing people from ice environments.
• Rescue 3 ID Card Optional plastic ID card with student photo and QR code linking to live qualification records, used operationally at multi-agency incidents to verify rescuer credentials and accreditation details. Sold to students who want their credentials verifiable online.

Quantifiable outcome

• Rescue 3 courses are used by organizations operating in high-risk environments globally

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Raven RescuecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRaven Rescue, based in Canada, collaborated with Rescue 3 to develop the ice suite of courses. This partnership leveraged Canadian expertise in ice rescue operations to create specialized training for working safely on ice and rescuing people from ice environments.
• Calwen InccoreOthersRescue 3 International is identified as a Division of Calwen Inc, with the parent company located at PO Box 1050, Wilton CA 95693, United States.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• NFPA (National Fire Protection Association): Sets the US safety standards (NFPA 1006, etc.) to which Rescue 3 courses are aligned. Functions as a standards-setting incumbent that influences the regulatory framework Rescue 3's accreditations plug into.
• American Red Cross: Provides widely recognized water rescue, lifeguarding, and first aid certifications. Adjacent incumbent with brand reach and water rescue curriculum overlap with Rescue 3's water discipline.
• Falck Safety Services: Operates a broader safety training portfolio including fire, rescue, medical, and offshore survival. Larger incumbent with overlapping rescue training offerings but a much wider service catalogue than Rescue 3's focused technical rescue scope.

Direct peers

• Roco Rescue: Provides technical rescue training including confined space, rope, and structural collapse rescue across multiple certification levels. Direct competitor in the same technical rescue training accreditation and delivery market as Rescue 3.
• Safety One Training International: Provides technical rescue, confined space, and fall protection training services. Overlaps with Rescue 3's course disciplines and serves similar industrial and emergency services customers.
• Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO): Offers wilderness, search and rescue, and emergency medical training with structured certification pathways. Comparable to Rescue 3 in delivering tiered technical rescue accreditations to professionals and instructors.
• Rig Safety: Delivers technical rescue training with strong focus on industrial and high-risk environment safety. Comparable to Rescue 3 in rope, confined space, and working-at-height curriculum.
• Wilderness Medical Associates International: Provides wilderness rescue and emergency medical training with structured certification programs for professionals operating in remote and high-risk environments. Comparable tiered accreditation framework to Rescue 3.

Regional players

• Royal Life Saving Society: UK-based water safety and lifeguard training accrediting body with strong footprint in Commonwealth markets. Regional peer to Rescue 3's water rescue discipline, particularly outside North America.

Others

• Health & Safety Executive (HSE UK): UK regulator whose approval standards underpin the DEFRA alignment Rescue 3 leverages. Ecosystem participant rather than direct competitor, but its approval framework shapes Rescue 3's UK market access.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/Rescue3International
• Facebookfacebook.com/rescue3international
• Instagraminstagram.com/rescue3international

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rescue 3 International