Drowning is a silent and many times sudden kind of emergency that can happen to any individual who is near water. Every second counts in such situations and the knowledge of how to act quickly enough could be the thin line between life and death.
Without proper guidance, it is easy to panic, which does more harm compared to good. Knowing what to do will help one stay calm and deal with the situation effectively. Let’s learn the steps you should follow if you witness anybody drowning.
What Are the Signs of Drowning?
Drowning does not always look like it does in movies. Instead of loud splashing and yelling, drowning can be silent and subtle Watch out for these signs:
- Struggling to Stay Afloat: In such a case, the person may not be making any progress in the water. They may be in one position, struggling and unable to move.
- Arms Moving Erratically: Instead of waving for help, the person may use their arms to try and push themselves upwards to stay above the water.
- Head Tilted Back: Their head may fall back and the mouth will lie just above or below the water surface. The eyes can be glassy and their eyelids closed.
- Silent or No Noise: In many instances, a person who is in the process of drowning remains silent, since they have focused on taking breath. Sometimes, it’s the silence that will point to a problem.
- Low or Slipping Under Water: The person only comes briefly to the surface before slipping under again.
If you see these signs, take immediate action, but in a cool manner.
What Are Two Methods of Rescuing Someone from Drowning?
If the person is too far away for you to reach safely, there are two effective ways to help from shore:
- Throw, Don’t Go: Instead of jumping in the water, throw something that floats, such as a life jacket, rope with a float attached, or even a cooler. This may keep a person above the water until help can come or you pull them in.
- Extend an Object: If they are out of reach but still too far to grasp with one’s hand, use a long object like a tree branch a pole, or even a towel. Stay on land and pull them in with the object while keeping balanced.
Whatever the situation, get immediate emergency services. If there is a lifeguard on location, alert him or her at once.
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How Can You Safely Rescue Someone from the Water?
If you are trained and confident, and it’s safe to enter the water, here’s how you can help:
- Stay Calm and Assess the Situation: Before jumping in, first of all, make sure it is safe for you to enter the water. The last thing you need is to panic because this will put both of you at risk.
- Approach with Caution: If you are in the water, try and swim up behind them. If a person is drowning, they will panic and sometimes reach out and get you under the water, creating a double fatality in the water.
- Use a Rescue Method: If you have a flotation device, extend it to them, have them grab onto it, and then slowly make their way to shore. If there is no flotation device, then try to help keep them afloat while moving them to safety.
- Instruct the Person: If the individual is conscious and in a position to hear you, speak pleasantly with them to attempt floating and resting. This way, it will be simpler to move them to the shore with minimal usage of energy.
- Seek for Help: Even after managing to bring them out from the water, it is necessary to seek medical assistance as they may be having water in their lungs or other problems.
What Should Be Done After Saving a Drowning Victim?
Once the person is safely out of the water, provide immediate care and keep monitoring the condition of the person.
1. Check for Breathing
Look, listen, and feel for normal breathing. If he/she is not breathing or if she is struggling to breathe, start CPR.
2. How to Perform CPR
Lay the person flat on their back on a firm surface. Lean the person’s head back, and open the mouth to check for breathing.
Begin chest compressions if they are not breathing. Put your hands on the center of their chest. Push hard and push fast. Aim for a rate of 100-120 compressions per minute.
After every 30 compressions, give rescue breaths by pinching the nose down, then sealing your mouth over theirs, and giving blowing air in until their chest rises.
3. Monitor Them Until Help Arrives
Even in occurrences where the victim happens to start breathing again, one must persist in keeping them observed until professional medical help arrives.
4. Seek Medical Attention
A drowning victim, even after being rescued, should always be taken to the hospital. Something as serious as complications from water in the lungs could show up hours later, even if the person seems fine at the time.
What Should You Avoid When Someone Is Drowning?
In any life-threatening emergency, like drowning, good intentions can sometimes make things worse. Here’s what to avoid.
- Don’t Jump In Without a Plan: If you’re not trained or the situation looks dangerous, stay out of the water. Many would-be rescuers become victims themselves because they are without a flotation device or are pulled underwater by the person drowning.
- Don’t Waste Time Looking for Help Alone: If at all possible, call emergency services while you try to rescue. If others are around, try to get someone else to call so you can help the victim.
- Don’t Ignore the Situation: Drowning could happen in under a minute. Even if the person makes it look like they might be okay, it is better to act sooner than later.
How Can You Prevent Drowning Accidents?
Prevention is always better than cure, and therefore, the best way to avoid drowning incidents and their risks. A few ways of reducing the risk are:
- Learn to Swim: Swimming possibly is still the best prevention of drowning that one is capable of understanding how to avoid after such an incident has happened. It provides you with a chance to help save your life as well as the people around you in case of incidences.
- Supervise Children Closely: Do not trust children when they are in or near water regardless of how good the child may be in swimming. Drowning can happen in a few minutes or even within a few seconds.
- Use Safety Devices: If you have a pool in your compound you should use barriers or safety gates around the pool. So if you are going to be out boating or near deep waters, it will prove beneficial if you do not forget to have life jackets around.
- Avoid Alcohol Near Water: A person is not allowed to consume any alcohol near the water because it will affect his/her decision-making capacity and reaction time which may lead to danger in swimming or when supervising other people.
- Take Water Safety Courses: Prepare for safety classes and knowing when it comes to first aid, CPR, and so on, will come in handy and prepare you a long way in case of an emergency.
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Conclusion
Drowning is a serious and silent kind of emergency that calls for swift and effective action. Seeing the signs of drowning, rescuing effectively, and giving CPR averts death.
Always bear in mind the safety of both you and the person getting drowned. Learning how one should act in such situations means one can prevent a tragedy and give critical help at the most critical moment of need.
Prepare yourself for emergencies by taking a water safety and CPR course with Emergency Response Africa today!
Learnt something, thanks for sharing