Existing water rescue equipment lacks the ability to perform rescue in multiple methods and exhibits deficiencies in both functionality and design. Moreover, the current research lacks a comprehensive evaluation system for water rescue equipment. In order to diversify water rescue methods and improve the design evaluation system for water rescue equipment, it was proposed to integrate hierarchical task analysis (HTA), analytic hierarchy process (AHP), entropy weight method, and PUGH decision-making model in the design of urban water rescue equipment. HTA was employed to decompose and analyze the water rescue task process, and identify the indicators for evaluating the design of water rescue equipment. AHP was applied to analyze the subjective weights of task requirements indicators, while the entropy weight method was used to calculate the objective weights of the indicators, determine the overall weights, and establish the design criteria. The PUGH model was utilized to compare and evaluate the design alternatives with existing rescue equipment, and assess the strengths and weaknesses of the design solutions. The results demonstrated that HTA provided a comprehensive analysis of water rescue task requirements, while the combined use of AHP and entropy weight method enabled a systematic calculation of indicator weights, considering the importance of each criterion. Additionally, the integration of the PUGH model allowed for effective comparison and evaluation of design alternatives. The proposed approach offers a novel and practical method for the design of urban water rescue equipment.