While it doesn't talk much, drowning is a leading cause of death among accidental injuries, causing about 10 deaths a day in the United States alone. Tragically, it often happens in the home - in 2012, 73% of drowning deaths among children under 14 occurred in private homes. Whether you're swimming alone, supervising other people, or making your pool safe for your family, the information you'll find in this guide will be invaluable.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Reducing the Chances of Drowning
Step 1. Swim in the presence of lifeguards
The number one rule to avoid drowning is to swim always in the presence of good swimmers, especially when you are in an unfamiliar body of water. Licensed lifeguards are your best friends when you swim - their presence has a strong and proven drowning prevention effect. Lifeguards are trained to see swimmers on the verge of drowning and to act quickly to save lives. If you have any doubts about choosing a place to swim, always prefer the one that has lifeguards.
Additionally, it's worth mentioning that certified lifeguards should know how to perform CPR, which means they can potentially save a swimmer's life even in the dangerous event that he or she loses consciousness in the water
Step 2. Learn the basics of swimming
For obvious reasons, knowing how to swim can greatly reduce the risk of drowning. If you are an absolute beginner, learning to swim freestyle and float can allow you to move and float with ease in the water, improving your confidence and confidence when swimming. Don't rely solely on the dog style to avoid drowning - it's not as effective or energy efficient as freestyle.
If you are not confident in your swimming skills, consider taking lessons. Swimming lessons are estimated to reduce the risk of drowning in very young children by 88%, but can offer life-saving knowledge for adults as well
Step 3. Use certified floats
Life jackets and other floats can keep the wearer afloat, even if they are unconscious or unable to swim, making them a useful aid in the water. For some situations, floats may be required by law - in the United States, for example, many states require boaters to wear a life jacket (or at least have one for each person on board). Usually these vests will need to be certified by the authorities to be considered valid.
Don't rely on armrests, foam tubes, and other similar floats - they're usually meant for fun and not for your safety
Step 4. Avoid strong currents
If you've mostly swam in pools, it's easy to forget that natural bodies of water are often subject to the forces of currents. If these currents are strong enough, they can expose you to serious dangers, especially if you are a weak or inexperienced swimmer. Particularly dangerous are the "back currents", strong and fast currents that form near the shore and drag swimmers into the open sea. If you are at the beach, be prepared to notice these signs that indicate the presence of back currents:
- A narrow channel where the water forms many waves
- Water of a different color from the one that surrounds it
- Waves of irregular shape
- A line of debris or algae moving offshore.
Step 5. Don't panic if you find yourself in a strong current
In the rare event that you find yourself in a strong current, knowing how to react intelligently can save your life. While it can be a really scary experience, try not to panic - in this case, letting your natural instincts guide you can be a very bad idea. Instead of trying to fight against the current, turn 90 degrees and swim parallel to the coast with all the strength you have. Since most of the return currents are active only in relatively narrow channels, sooner or later you will come out of the current and reach calmer waters.
Step 6. If you notice that you are about to lose control, float or let yourself be carried away by the current
The natural reaction of most people when they think they are about to drown is to fight with all their might to keep their heads above the water. Unfortunately, this is one of the worst things to do when you are drowning - you will quickly run out of energy, get tired, and it will be harder to call for help. Usually, it is a better idea to just float to conserve energy so that you can try to reach the beach or call for help.
- To float, lie on your stomach on the water and make a movement from the inside to the outside with your arms to stabilize your upper body. As you do this, move your legs like on a bicycle to stay afloat.
- If you have completely exhausted your energy, using a survival flotation technique, you can rest in the water. Turn on your stomach, and spread your limbs, using only minimal movements to stay afloat. Lift your head when you need to breathe.
- Remember that you just need to keep your mouth just out of the water to be able to breathe - struggling to stay high on the water is usually a waste of energy.
Step 7. Don't use drugs or alcohol
Being under the influence of these substances in water is a dangerous recipe. Alcohol, in particular, can be a really bad choice - it not only limits your decision-making and motor skills, but also exposes you to hypothermia (a condition that occurs when you're too cold). However, since the effects of many drugs can be just as harmful if not worse, it is a bad idea to enter the water under the influence of any type of psychoactive substance, so stay sober when swimming.
Part 2 of 3: Prevent the Others from Drowning
Step 1. Learn the CPR
CPR, or Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation, is a very important rescue technique for anyone planning to spend time near water. CPR allows a rescuer to circulate a drowning victim's blood through their body and, in some cases, allow them to breathe again. While CPR alone can in some cases save the lives of drowning victims, it is especially useful for delaying death until paramedics arrive. CPR courses are usually short and can now also be completed online, allowing everyone to gain the skills needed to save another person's life.
If you don't know how to perform CPR, most sources recommend only attempting chest compressions, and not more advanced airway opening techniques or emergency breathing To perform chest compressions, kneel next to the chest compressions. unconscious victim on a hard surface and place both hands superimposed on his chest. Use the weight of the upper body (not just the arms) to compress the person's chest by about two inches. Perform compressions at a rate of about 100 per minute until paramedics arrive or until the person regains consciousness
Step 2. Assign a person to be a lifeguard or supervisor
The most important thing you can do to ensure safety in the water is to make sure that there is always someone to observe the swimmers and that they are ready to go to their rescue. Trained lifeguards, of course, are the best guardians, but for lack of anything else a regular experienced swimmer will do.
If the guardians are worried they won't be having fun, set up shifts! However, don't allow anyone who is drunk or otherwise limited to act as a watchman - seconds are also important to save someone from drowning, so a person with slowed reflexes is not suited to be a lifeguard
Step 3. Know who is most at risk
On an individual level, a person's swimming skills and environmental conditions usually determine their level of drowning risk. However, when dealing with large groups of people, it is possible to notice some demographic trends regarding the risk of drowning - in practice, some categories of people are more likely to drown than others. Below you will find a few different types of people who, statistically, are more likely to drown than the average:
- Children: Very young children (ages 1-4) are particularly at risk of drowning. In fact, drowning is the leading cause of deaths between 1 and 4 years after birth defects.
- Men: Men make up 80% of all drowning deaths. It is unclear whether this is due to a more pronounced preference for risky behavior, biological skills, or simply a greater preference for swimming.
- Poor classes and minorities: In the United States, some socioeconomic groups have disproportionate rates of drowning deaths, due to factors such as lack of access to swimming pools and lack of water-based recreation. African American children between the ages of 5 and 19, for example, drown in swimming pools six times more than whites.
Step 4. Watch out for swimmers' medical problems
If a person suffers from a condition that could limit their motor functions or otherwise limit them when in the water, this information should undoubtedly be communicated to the guardians. Conditions such as epilepsy, for example, can render someone helpless in the water in the event of an attack, so the caretaker should closely monitor these people. Also, if you need equipment for quick treatment of the condition (for example, epinephrine for people with severe allergies), you will need to get them to avoid the worst.
Step 5. Remember that drowning is often a silent phenomenon
The drowner does not do it as you may have seen in the movies - with a violent, chaotic and noisy struggle to stay afloat. In fact, the drowning person may not be able to get their heads out of the water long enough to call for help. Because of this, there will often be no sounds that can signal a drowning. A person can drown without the people next to them realizing that something is wrong until it is too late. For this reason, it is extremely important that the keeper never gets distracted from the body of water he is looking at. Learn to recognize the following warning signs of a silent drowning:
- Stiff, erect body with arms pushing down against the water (signaling no help)
- The inability to speak by the drowning person (focusing on breathing)
- Periods of intense struggle on the surface followed by free diving.
- The inability of the drowning person to keep their mouth constantly above water.
Part 3 of 3: Child Safety Measures
Step 1. Never let children swim unsupervised
Although swimming alone is a bad idea for adults too, it must become a rule for children. Do not leave never that children swim without adult supervision, whether they are at the beach, in a home pool, in a public pool or at a friend's house. Even young children who have received swimming lessons are more at risk of drowning than older children who have not, so supervision is essential for your child's safety.
If you have to leave your child with a babysitter or under someone's supervision, be sure to inform them about your swimming safety rules. Remember in particular that drowning often occurs without audible warning signals, and that visual supervision is required for this
Step 2. Make your pool inaccessible
Putting physical barriers between your baby and your pool can often be enough to keep him out of the water when you are not around. While these remedies may not work for older children, for young children who don't understand the dangers of unsupervised swimming, they can save lives. Below you will find some simple ideas that can make your pool childproof:
- Fences the pools at ground level. Use toy fences, nets, or other sturdy materials to create a protective barrier around the pool. Make sure you lock any gates or doors to the fence after swimming.
- Remove the stairs from the pools above ground level. If your child is too young to climb into these pools without a ladder, simply remove it to keep them out.
- If possible, use a cover for your pool. Many swimming pools and bathtubs have hard lids or plastic covers. They are usually used to protect the pool from the elements when you are not using it, but they can also be an effective deterrent for children if they are tough enough to keep them out of the water.
Step 3. Never leave the pool games outdoors
A child will be less tempted to swim unsupervised if he does not see fun and colorful games in the water. After returning from the beach or after swimming in the garden pool, take out all the pool toys and put them where your child cannot find them. Without games, swimming will no longer be so fun for a child.
Step 4. Consider emptying your pool
One sure way to prevent your child from drowning in the pool is to remove water from the equation. If the pool is completely empty, children will have less reason to enter it unsupervised, and if they did, they could not drown. However, this can be a complex operation, so if you don't know how to do it, consult a plumber or a swimming pool expert.
However, remember that emptying some types of pools exposes them to damage from direct sunlight, which can damage the plastic material on the bottom
Step 5. Remember that small children can drown in very shallow water
Babies and children as young as 1-2 years can also drown in 2.5 cm of water. Tragically, not all parents know this. For this reason it is extremely important to observe small children when they are in water of any depth, even in the bathtub or in the presence of buckets. If you have to leave for whatever reason, take your child with you - in the time it takes to open the front door, for example, your child may start drowning.
