With more than 25 years of experience, IONIC Rescue develops and supplies equipment for fire and rescue services, coastguard organisations and specialist rescue teams, with a portfolio covering protective suits, buoyancy aids, inflatable rescue craft and systems for operations in challenging environments.

The company serves emergency services and specialist rescue organisations in more than 30 countries, combining its product offering with experience in equipment development, testing, manufacturing and servicing.

Its portfolio covers several important areas of professional water rescue.

Drysuits, flood suits and wetsuits

IONIC offers a range of professional drysuits, including its Cyclone series, developed for rescue personnel working in wet environments where protection from water and exposure to the elements is essential.

Its flood suits and rescue wetsuits provide further options for different rescue activities and operating conditions.

Lifejackets and buoyancy aids

The company’s lifejackets and buoyancy aids include specialist rescue PFDs, such as the Pro Matrix and Rescue Pro, alongside inflatable lifejackets for professional applications.

These products address the specific requirements of personnel operating in and around water, where flotation, mobility and equipment reliability are essential considerations.

Inflatable rescue craft, sleds and systems

A significant part of IONIC’s portfolio consists of inflatable rescue equipment, including rafts, rescue craft and specialist sleds such as the Titan and Explorer models.

These systems are developed for operations involving water, flooding, mud and other environments where conventional access may be difficult. Inflatable rescue paths and tracks provide additional options for reaching casualties and supporting evacuation procedures.

Water rescue equipment and accessories

IONIC also supplies specialist rescue helmets, boots, gloves and thermal garments, together with water rescue aids such as throwlines, wading poles, reach poles and rescue knives.

The company also provides servicing and repair services, supporting customers in the maintenance of their specialist equipment.

For Spencer, the addition of IONIC Rescue is particularly relevant because many professional rescue operations involve different equipment requirements, depending on the environment, the condition of the casualty and the procedures needed for safe recovery and transport.

Spencer has developed a broad portfolio of rescue stretchers, including basket stretchers, recovery stretchers and other devices intended for casualty retrieval in demanding operating conditions. These products are complemented by immobilisation equipment, including spine boards, cervical collars, head immobilisers and vacuum mattresses, used to stabilise casualties during handling and transport.

The company’s expertise also extends to ambulance stretchers and patient transport systems, supporting emergency responders during subsequent phases of care and transport.

While Spencer’s equipment focuses primarily on casualty recovery, immobilisation and transport, IONIC brings dedicated expertise in protecting rescue personnel and providing the equipment needed to operate in water and flood environments.

This distinction makes the two portfolios complementary. In flood rescue operations, for example, teams may require specialist protective suits, buoyancy aids and inflatable systems to reach an affected area, followed by appropriate recovery and immobilisation equipment to support the casualty’s evacuation and transfer.

The acquisition therefore broadens the technical knowledge available within Protect Medical, particularly for rescue organisations whose activities cover several different environments and operational requirements.

IONIC Rescue joins a Group that already includes several companies with established experience in professional rescue.

RescueTech specialises in technical rescue equipment, including rope, water and ice rescue solutions, while Ruth Lee develops training manikins used to prepare emergency services for realistic rescue scenarios.

PAX contributes specialist rescue transport and immobilisation solutions, including vacuum mattresses for mountain and air rescue, while TSG Associates develops equipment for mass casualty incident management, triage and casualty evacuation.

Additional expertise in emergency care comes from SÖHNGEN and its aluderm+ wound care products, alongside the medical equipment portfolios of Promeba and CA-MI.

Together with Spencer’s experience in rescue stretchers, immobilisation and patient handling, these capabilities allow Protect Medical to address a broad range of requirements across professional rescue and emergency medical services.

IONIC’s arrival adds a further specialist area to this portfolio, with particular relevance to organisations responsible for water rescue, flood response and casualty recovery in difficult environments.

Beyond extending the Group’s product offering, the acquisition provides opportunities for technical and commercial cooperation between IONIC Rescue and the other Protect Medical companies.

IONIC will be able to draw on the Group’s international sales organisation and expertise in product development, quality, regulatory affairs and sourcing, supporting the development of its existing offering and its presence in international markets.

For Spencer, the acquisition creates opportunities to exchange knowledge with a company operating in a specialised but related area of rescue, as well as to explore potential connections between equipment used for accessing casualties, recovery, immobilisation and transport.

These opportunities will depend on the requirements of professional users and the areas where closer cooperation between the companies can provide practical benefits.

The addition of IONIC Rescue further develops Protect Medical’s Rescue portfolio, combining specialist knowledge from companies working in different areas of emergency response.

For Spencer, it represents an opportunity to build on its established experience in casualty handling and transport while benefiting from the wider Group’s growing expertise in technical rescue and challenging operational environments.

We welcome IONIC Rescue to Protect Medical and look forward to working with our new colleagues.

Discover more about IONIC Rescue and its specialist equipment.