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Do you know that drowning is the leading cause of death among children in the United States? The statistics are alarming. To learn about them, click here.
How do you quickly recognize that someone is drowning?
We have all seen movies that depict drowning in dramatic scenes of screaming, waving, and yelling for help, but this isn’t how it usually happens. Drowning often occurs silently and can be difficult to detect. According to Divers Alert Network, “The most common appearance of someone who is drowning is that they don’t look like they are drowning.”
Initially, some swimmers may briefly demonstrate aquatic distress. For a while, they might be able to yell and wave that they are in trouble, and they can still grab a life ring or float. What are the signs someone is in danger of drowning?
Drowning victims are likely to be:
- Silent: They can’t call out for help. They are working hard just to breathe. Their head tilts backwards and their mouth opens as if they are gasping or struggling to get a breath. If you ask “Are you okay?”, they are physiologically unable to answer.
- Bobbing up and down: Their mouth is above the water surface, they exhale and inhale quickly before sinking below the surface. They are upright, hyperventilating, gasping and using all their effort to breathe and they submerge intermittently.
- Stiff armed: They don’t wave their arms. Instead, their arms are out to the side, hands pressed on the water trying to stay afloat and keep their head above water. They cannot wave or grab a life preserver.
- Still: Their body is straight up and down, like standing in the water. They hold their face near the top of the water with their head tilted back and their mouth at the level of the water. Kicking stops because they no longer have the energy.
This may last for only up to 60 seconds before total submersion. Small children may submerge within ten seconds and succumb within a minute below the surface. To prevent these situations, small children and other non-swimmers must have someone nearby who is constantly watching them and who knows how to respond to their distress. Click here to see a brief video of what drowning looks like.
A tip for parents: The American Lifeguard Association recommends that parents select a neon orange, pink, or green color child’s swimsuit as it may significantly help identify a child underwater. Some colors like blue, white, or grey may blend in with the pool color, making a submerged child difficult to spot.
What should you do if you see someone drowning? Unless you can readily get the victim out of the water, call 911 and get help. Here are some guidelines:
“Should I jump in to save them?”
Every situation is unique and the safety of the would be rescuer must be considered. If a small child is drowning in a shallow pool it is probably safe for an adult to enter the water. In other situations such as for an adult drowning victim who is in aquatic distress, the rescuer may be pulled under by a terrified victim. Alert a lifeguard who will bring a float to the victim in order to pull the swimmer to safety.
“Throw don’t ‘go’!”
It is recommended to throw a lifesaving float to the victim. This may be a life ring with a rope attached. Throwing a life vest, a boogie board or even an empty cooler or plastic gallon milk container can be used in a crisis situation.
Lifeguards are trained to deal with both the conscious and the unconscious victim but unfortunately there is a national shortage of lifeguards and so one may not be available. Training both in swimming, first aid and CPR/AED is optimal for everyone who is supervising a swimmer and especially a non-swimmer.
-Submitted by Derek Fyfe, Waterproof, Inc.
Note: To view the previous article in this series entitled “Water Safety Guidelines to Teach Children” go to tidelinesblog.com and in the search bar, type: being water wise.
References: CDC.org and Redcross.org
(Image credit: dan.org)