What To Do When Someone Is Drowning
The season for beach and pool days are peering through the horizon. But for Floridians, any day when there is no rain, they head to their backyard or the beach. And those days are supposed to be relaxing whether you are in the water or just tanning. What would ruin your expectations of a calm and stress-free moment by the pool or the beach – is when someone you know and love start to drown in the water. If you’re enjoying the beach a person can be taken by the current – prone to being engulfed by the water.
So what do you do? Pull out your superhero suit and get ready to save the day (or find someone who can help). Most of the time when someone is drowning, they wouldn’t have enough oxygen to call for help. The signs of a person struggling for air is when they keep bobbing their head up and down and flapping their arms around.
If you’re by the pool:
Try to help the person if they are within arm-reach by planting your body on the ground so you’re in a stable position and pull them to the edge. If they are farther away, you can locate the shepherd’s cork (most public pool areas have this) and move it towards the victim so you can pull them to safety. If not, floating aid with a line attached can help you pull the victim yourself if they have no energy to grab the cork or your hand.
If you’re by the ocean:
Locate the lifeguard on duty, if he or she did not catch your loved one drowning as of yet. They will dive in and try to save them. Lifeguards are trained in these situations, so if the person is caught in the current the lifeguard knows how to get in and get out safely. If there is no lifeguard on duty and a person is stuck within the current, its best to see if you can locate a floating aid or product that you can attach a string to and pull them to shore. If that’s not an option, a rule of thumb when it comes to currents is to swim parallel and diagonal from the actual current.
After rescuing a person who has drown, make sure someone has called 911 if they are unconscious. Check for 10 seconds if the person is breathing or has a pulse. If they are not breathing, try to find someone who is licensed to perform CPR to help you.
These accidents may happen to the inexperienced swimmers. If a person doesn’t know how to swim, they are most likely to experience a drowning situation if they are not careful.
