Not waving but drowning

June 20, 2018
cold water shock, CPR, drowning, drowning prevention, First Aid, first aid course, paediatric first aid, resuscitation, water safety

DROWNING PREVENTION AND RESCUE.

As I sit perched on the toilet seat, lid closed I might add, by the bath tub watching my six year old splash about in our nightly ritual, I quietly fret about all the things I could be getting on with. But I know that a child can drown in less than 5cm of water so reluctantly, I sit…and watch and wait.

It’s a water themed season with school holidays just around the corner. And later this August, my own family plan to be fully submerged in the chilly waters off a Welsh coastline, jumping over waves, come rain or shine.

Water is so much fun, but it does, sadly, have the potential to kill.

Did you know 56 children under the age of 11 years old drowned in the UK in the last 5 years? With more than 300 people accidentally drowning every year? And for every drowning death that occurs, there are more than 10 near drownings, with many of these leading to life changing injuries.

It doesn’t surprise me. My daughter is learning to swim and with that she’s become overconfident in her abilities. She will launch herself into the deep-end of the pool without realising the trouble she’d get into if she jumped too far out and couldn’t swim back to the side.

Even competent teenage swimmers can get into difficulties in open water, especially in Britain where the average temperature is 12-15°C. Brrrrrr. (Should I go to Greece instead this year?) It’s cold enough to cause cold water shock. Did you know that you shouldn’t swim with cold water shock but float instead? I didn’t.

As a parent you can really make a difference.

Here’s five steps to prevent drowning:-

1. Ensure your family can swim, be water confident, and have water safety skills, especially learning how to deal with cold water shock. Learn to FLOAT.

2. Make smart choices, such as swimming at lifeguarded beaches and pools, using appropriate safety equipment and not drinking alcohol before going in the water.

3. Become aware of, and knowing how to avoid key water-safety hazards; such as rips, coldwater, moving water whilst outside.

4. Learn to deal with hazards for children and vulnerable people in and around the home such as ponds, bath, swimming pools.

5. Taking opportunities for children and teenagers to develop ‘risk-competence’ by learning about safety by experiencing risk.

6. READ THE LATEST RLSS UK ADVICE ON WATER SAFETY.

And, I think, most importantly, really knowing what to do in a drowning emergency so you can act quickly. Remember that famous poem – ‘Not Waving But Drowning’? If you see someone waving or go quiet they may actually be drowning. In the movies, people splash around shouting for help but when someone’s actually drowning they won’t make any noise at all.

Not Waving But Drowning
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he’s dead.
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.

By Stevie Smith

What to do if you see someone drowning:-

1. If you see someone in trouble, call 999 or 112 and ask for the coastguard.

2. If there is something that floats to hand, throw it to them but don’t enter the water yourself.

3. As soon as the casualty has been rescued from the water, check if they’re breathing.

4. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing, give them five initial rescue breaths before starting CPR.

5. Once you’ve done this, start CPR: 30 chest compressions, then two rescue breaths. Keep giving CPR until help arrives, the casualty regains responsiveness, or you’re too exhausted to keep going.

6. If they start breathing again at any time, treat them for hypothermia by covering them with warm clothes and blankets. If they recover completely, replace their wet clothes with dry ones.

7. Keep checking breathing, pulse and level of response until help arrives.

8. Even if they do recover quickly, get them checked out by a medical professional as they can suffer from secondary drowning. Watch this video to find out more.