lifeline

Lifeline is a term used in safety, rescue, infrastructure, and social policy to denote a line, cable, or service that provides support to prevent harm or to sustain life during danger or hardship. It encompasses physical safety mechanisms as well as essential services.

In physical safety contexts, a lifeline is a rope, cable, or strap secured to a fixed anchor that is used to arrest a fall in climbing, caving, construction, or industrial work, often as part of a fall-arrest system. On ships and at workplaces near edges, a deck lifeline is a flexible line or wire used to prevent people from falling overboard or into hazardous areas.

In rescue operations, lifelines may be used to haul, guide, or secure people or objects, including lines thrown to victims or used to rope down rescuers in confined spaces.

In disaster management and critical infrastructure planning, lifelines refer to the essential services that sustain a population, such as electricity, water, healthcare, and communications. Protecting and rapidly restoring these lifelines is a central aspect of resilience planning and emergency response.

In telecommunications and social policy, Lifeline programs provide subsidized or affordable access to basic communication services for eligible low-income households, helping maintain contact with emergency services and social support networks.

The term also appears in various cultural works as a title or concept, reflecting its metaphorical sense of a life-sustaining resource. Overall, lifelines encompass both physical safety mechanisms and essential services crucial to survival and well-being.