What to do if you observe a person in difficulty in the surf: - Keep a constant watch on the person(s) in distress as their position in the surf is likely to change. Use bystanders to assist you with this task - Dial 111; ask for POLICE. If the beach has a Surf Club, send a bystander to notify lifeguards immediately - Tell the Police: "We have a surf rescue emergency at [name of beach] and state: PEOPLE – how many people are in need of assistance? PROBLEM – what is the nature of the emergency? POSITION – where exactly are they located? Example: “There are two surfers in difficulty on the Southern side of Lion Rock, Piha” - Ask the Police to contact Surf Life Saving and activate the local callout squad - Victims may unexpectedly go under the water and not resurface. If this occurs, rescue services will need to know exactly where and at what time this happened - Under no circumstances should an untrained rescuer enter the surf to attempt a rescue. Wait until trained lifeguards or rescue services arrive, or try and throw a flotation device to the person in distress. In New Zealand, 2% of drownings occur whilst attempting to rescue others If a member of the public insists on entering the water, ensure they take some form of flotation with them (eg. Lifejacket, boogie board). - Learn CPR. If the victim is brought back to shore and is unresponsive/not-breathing normally, prompt initiation of CPR by bystanders is critical. Remember: it is a commonly held misbelief that a drowning person can wave or call for help; in the later stages of drowning they cannot. Just because a person is not calling out/signalling for help does not mean they are not in trouble. If in doubt, always call 111 or notify lifeguards. And, if you start CPR on a patient who is pulled out of the water, ultimately they may or may not survive. If however you don’t start CPR, then they have almost no chance of survival…
Posted on: Sat, 08 Jun 2013 08:53:07 +0000
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