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| Name: |
MovinFr8
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| Subject: |
This is in reference to the drowning at Lakeside
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Date:
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5/9/2012 2:24:55 PM
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With drowning being the third leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 14 and under, the Pell City Police Department wishes to take this opportunity to remind parents of some of the basic water safety rules.
• According to a national study of drowning-related incidents involving children, a parent or caregiver claimed to be supervising the child in nearly nine out of 10 child drowning-related deaths.
• Two-thirds of drowning deaths occur in the summer, between May and August, and most commonly on the weekends.
• The majority of infant (less than 1 year old) drowning deaths happen in bathtubs or large buckets.
• Recreational boating accidents caused 9 drowning deaths among children ages 12 and under in 2010; more than half of the children were not wearing personal flotation devices (PFDs) or life jackets.
It is recommended that a responsible person is designated as a “Water Watcher” while children are swimming in lakes and pools. Even if children and adults are “strong swimmers,” accidental inhalation of water can be the beginning of a tragedy. Approximately 5,000 non-fatal, near drowning injuries are reported each year.
Unlike in the movies, a drowning victim may not be able to call out and thrash on the water during a drowning. This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.
Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:
• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.
If you suspect someone is in aquatic distress or drowning, a simple way to remember what to do is, “Reach, throw, row, go”—in that order of preference. But first, remember to call for help.
STEP 1: Call 911.
Start getting other people’s attention. Someone should call 911 early. An adult can typically struggle in water for one minute and children maybe 20 seconds or less.
Rule #1
The first rule of rescuing someone is to make sure you’re safe.
METHOD 1: Reach.
This method works well if the victim is near a dock or edge of a pool. But as simple as it sounds, reaching in can be risky.
• Ensure that you’re in a safe place and not at risk of being pulled in by the victim. A solid stance or lying flat on the ground are two ways to brace. A water-immersion victim will do anything to get out, including unintentionally pulling you in.
Quick Reference
Four steps to save someone who's drowning:
1. Call for help from bystanders, who should call 911.
2. Reach, throw, row or go (in that order of preference). Try to limit the victim’s neck movement.
3. Assess the ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation). Again, beware the neck.
4. Possibly perform CPR.
• You can use a tree branch, oar, towel or shepherd’s crook (long pole with a hook at the end, seen around poolsides) to lengthen your reach. Take care not to hit the victim when extending the instrument. Verify the person has grasped the item and pull him or her to a safe location.
• If needed, you can enter the water and maintain a firm grasp on the pool edge, steps or dock, while reaching to the victim with your other hand or your feet.
METHOD 2: Throw
Most swimming areas have safety rings attached to a rope. They float and can often be thrown far out of reach of the shore.
• Take care not to hit the person with the ring.
• Instruct him or her to grab it.
• Pull on the rope to get the person to shore.
Be Careful of the Neck
Diving injuries notoriously involve the neck and cause unconsciousness. A good rule is to assume all near-drowning victims have a neck injury. Take great care to limit their neck’s movement during a water rescue.
METHOD 3: Row.
If the victim is too far out for method one or two, the next option is to get a boat.
• Get as close as you can, but be careful not to hit the person.
• Instruct the person to grab onto the side of the boat, or perform a reach maneuver to help him or her get secure.
• As you get closer, consider throwing out a safety ring to help the person stabilize before you get close enough to reach.
METHOD 4: Go.
Swimming out to rescue a water-immersion victim is risky and should be the last resort. This requires training and competent swimming skills. Drowning victims are often thrashing wildly and pose hazards to their rescuers. They may attempt to climb the rescuer, trying to get themselves as high out of the water as possible. This simply pushes the rescuer under the water and puts him or her at risk for drowning!
When swimming out to rescue someone, bring a towel or shirt with you. Instruct the victim to grab the object, and tow him or her to shore. This allows you to remain a safe distance from the victim.
AFTER THE RESCUE
Once you’ve rescued the person, first aid should be provided. First aid for people with water-immersion injuries is unique and requires special training. The basics center around assuming an underlying cause for the near drowning. Did this person have a seizure while swimming? Did she have a heart attack? Is he intoxicated? Did she fall out of a boat? Most importantly, did he injure his neck before being in the water?
Immediately begin assessing the person’s ABCs: airway, breathing and circulation.
• Ensure the airway is open—that nothing is obstructing it.
• Make sure the person is breathing—feel for air moving in and out.
• Feel for a pulse on the wrist or side of the neck.
If any of these checks shows a problem, immediately fix that problem before going on to the next check. (No airway means you must fix the airway before checking breathing.) CPR may be required.
Sources: Familydoctormag.com
Safekids.org
mariovittone.com
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| Name: |
BamaKat
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| Subject: |
This is in reference to the drowning at Lakeside
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Date:
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5/10/2012 10:42:35 AM
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Drowning can happen at any time, even to people that can swim. I lost my wife to drowning last June with no indication as to why it happened
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| Name: |
MovinFr8
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| Subject: |
This is in reference to the drowning at Lakeside
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Date:
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5/10/2012 11:14:08 AM
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I had no idea, very sorry for your loss a year later
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| Name: |
Old Diver
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| Subject: |
This is in reference to the drowning at Lakeside
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Date:
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5/13/2012 12:07:09 PM
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Good advice but in addition:
Teach drown proofing. This can be taught in 15 minutes. One does not even need to know how to swim! For instance, if one tried to swim too far and becomes too tired just take a deep breath,extend your arms and float face down without moving. About 3 times a minute exhale, lift your head high enough to take a quick breath and go back to rest. If one does not panic this will allow one to survive many hours. I remember a deck hand from a tug off Mobile who was washed overboard a number of years ago who survived over 30 hours using this.
Another point is if panicky swimmer grabs on he will climb anything you stick up. About the only way to get him off your back is to dive. They won't hold on something dragging them down.
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