How to save someone from drowning

Don’t try to leap into the water and rescue someone unless you’re a trained lifesaver. You could easily become a casualty yourself.

Rescue from water

■ Shout for help.

■ Call the emergency services or, ideally, get someone else to do it so you don’t take your eyes off the casualty.

■ If there’s a buoyancy aid – a lifebelt or any other object that floats, such as a ball – throw it in. Look around for a lifebuoy on a line as your first choice, or tie a lifevest to a rope.

■ If there’s no lifesaving equipment nearby, throw something as a lifeline, such as a tow rope, or reach out with a pole, oar, fishing rod or tree branch.

■ Don’t go into the water unless you’re trained in rescue. If you have to wade out, stay within your depth and ask someone onshore to hold a rope tied round your waist. Take a buoyancy aid for the casualty to hold onto.

 

Treat the casualty

 

Pull the casualty to safety and out of the water. Remove any mud or weed from their nose and throat and perform CPR if needed.

■ If vomiting or regurgitation occurs after you begin CPR, roll the casualty onto their side to clear the airway.

■ Treat for hypothermia.

■ Keep trying to revive the casualty until professional help arrives.