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Every year numerous lives are lost unfortunately due to drowning incidents. It's important that we know how to help somebody safely when they show signs that they might be drowning. The first thing to think about is recognizing a true drowning victim. Many times we think that they yell for help, which is not the case. In many times, they're so scared and they're already gulping water they can't actually scream out. So their head's kind of bobbing, their hands are flailing but tend not to make any noise. We need to understand what a drowning victim looks like. Once we've identified that we're gonna use this following system to safely rescue a potentially drowning victim. We reach, we throw but we don't go, which means we don't swim out to them because that's the number 1 way to become a second victim. Unless you're a trained and certified lifeguard that knows how to do than safely we should only be reaching and throwing to rescue a drowning victim. So let's show you how that works. Almost always there's towels around the pool or lake. What a towel allows us to do is extend our arm. But before we use that let's say that the person, and I've got a helper here to demonstrate, is just a little way away from the side of the pool. As she's out there I can go to this side of the pool and reach my hand out. If she can reach my hand I stay low to the ground, I keep my center of gravity low, I can pull this person to safety so that they can climb out. Or they can maybe go down to a ladder walking down the side of the pool until they can get to a ladder and climb up themselves. But what if they're a little further away and I can't reach them. My helper is gonna go out just a little further, we're going to kind of swirl this towel around to make it more of like a rope and now I'm going to swing it one end of it out to the potentially drowning victim. They grab the towel and I draw in and once they're to the side I help them out of the water. But now let's say that they're even further out and I can't reach them even with a towel. In many cases the pool has this kind of pole nearby for rescuing purposes. But what if it's a private pool and they're not required to have a life saving pole. We'll check for a leaf skimmer. Most leaf skimmers have a pole so that they can reach the center area. That pole tends to be able to telescope in and out. So as far as they're out you can maybe extend the pole and then retighten it so that you can reach the actual drowning victim. Now let's see what this looks like as I try to use this pole to help save a victim who's out even further. Why don't you go out a little bit further and we'll show them how it's done. But now in this case my posture changes. I stand up, I put my forward leaning foot out and I lean my weight back against my rear leg, so that I have a counterbalance as I begin to pull this person in. Instead of jabbing them with the pole I extend it out and I lower it down beside the victim. Now they grab the pole and as I pull I lean back and I bring them to the side of the pool where I can then assist them out of the pool into safety. But it gets worse. What if now they're so far out I can't reach them with a pole or I don't have a pole. All I have is a life jacket or maybe even a noodle, which is really not meant to save a life. But if it's all I have and it floats I'm gonna use it to throw to them so that they have something to help buy them some time. But if I had a choice I would rather use something that's certified as a life saving device and will actually help keep them up above the water so that they can puddle to safety or buy us time for emergency rescue services to help get them out of the pool. This next demonstration will show you how this looks like. It might help to go out a little bit further...I'm gonna take the flotation device and now I'm going to throw it out into the vicinity of the flailing person. So they start flailing and I throw it out to them and they grab on to it. Now I'm gonna teach them to kick their feet: kick your feet, come to the side of the pool, keep coming, keep coming, you're doing great! Good job, way to go! And now I can help them out of the pool into safety. If you're concerned that they took in some water and they're coughing keep EMS on the way so that we can check their breath sounds and make sure they don't have an aspiration pneumonia developing. If it was a drowning where they're unresponsive and pulled out of the water, that's when we're gonna begin CPR. Remember, call 911 as soon as you think there's an emergency. If it's resolved you can always send them away. But if it's a real emergency you can never speed them back up. These are some tips on how to help save people when they're having fun in the sun or at the side of the pool.
Every year numerous lives are needlessly lost to drowning incidents, and many of those lost are young children. In this lesson, you'll learn how to recognize a drowning victim and how to help them to safety.
Many times, a person who is a true drowning victim behaves differently than we might expect. They're likely not yelling for help, as they could be taking in water and unable to speak.
It's important to understand what a drowning victim looks like. Signs of a potential drowning victim include:
- Exaggerated movements
- Head bobbing up and down at water line
- Arms flailing
- Making little noise beyond sounds of splashing
How to Safely Rescue a Potentially Drowning Victim
Once you've identified a potential drowning victim, use the following methods to rescue them and help them safely out of the pool.
Pro Tip #1: The protocol for rescuing a drowning victim can be summed as such: Reach. Throw. Don't go. DO NOT swim out to get them unless you're a trained and certified lifeguard. Otherwise, you could end up a second drowning victim.
- Try to reach the victim from the side of the pool. If the victim is close enough, make sure you stay low to the ground and maintain a low center of gravity, while reaching out to them with your hand. Pull them out of the pool or assist them in getting to the nearest ladder and then out.
- Turn a towel into a rope. If you can't reach the victim with a hand, grab a towel and coil it up into a makeshift rope. Swing one end out to the drowning victim while you hang onto the other end. Drag the towel in with the victim in tow and help them out of the water.
- Use a pole or leaf skimmer. A swimming pool usually has these sorts of poles laying around, either for rescue purposes or cleaning and maintenance. And they often can telescope in and out, making them ideal to aid a drowning victim who is further away from the side of the pool.
Pro Tip #2: If using a pole to assist a drowning victim, make sure you're standing with your forward-leading foot out in front of you. Lean back and use your weight as a counterbalance. Extend the pole and lower it down beside the victim. Once they grab it, lean back and pull them to safety.
- Use a life jacket or floatation device. If the victim is too far out to reach any other way, see if there are some floatation devices, like pool noodles or life jackets that you can toss out to them. Once the victim has the floatation device, instruct them to kick their feet and encourage them to keep coming, as they're likely exhausted and scared. Pull them to safety once they reach the side of the pool.
If you called 911 and activated EMS, it's a good idea to keep them coming, especially if the victim took in some water. There could be some potential breathing issues or an aspirational pneumonia developing.
Warning: If the victim is unresponsive when pulled from the water, begin CPR immediately. And always call 911 as soon as you think there's an emergency. If it turns out there isn't an emergency, you can always cancel the 911 call. But if turns out to be a real emergency, you'll be glad you activated EMS.
A Word About Drowning
When it comes to drowning, there are several critical facts and statistics to be aware of.
- Some important statistics. Drowning is the fifth most common cause of death from accidental injury in the United States for all ages, and it rises to the second leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 14. And males are more than three times more likely to drown than females.
- On the threat of drowning. Younger children can drown at any moment, even in as little as an inch of water. Young children commonly drown in home pools. Children with seizure disorders are 13 times more likely to drown than those without such disorders.
- Early recognition is key. Most people who are drowning spend their energy trying to keep their mouth and nose above water. As you learned earlier, recognizing someone who seems to be having trouble in the water, but is not calling out for help, may help save their life.
- There are three types of water-related victims:
- A distressed swimmer who is too tired to continue but afloat.
- A drowning victim who is active and vertical but not moving forward.
- A drowning victim who is passive, floating, or submerged and not moving.
- Don't become a victim yourself. Only those trained in swimming rescues should enter the water to assist with drowning emergencies. For your safety, look for a lifeguard before attempting a rescue, have the appropriate safety equipment, call for additional resources immediately if you do not have that equipment, and only swim out if you have the proper training, skills, and equipment.