Summer Water Safety- Listen for the Silence
Thanks to Kathy for this timely post. I remember one summer when my oldest, who was a GREAT swimmer, was swimming in our neighborhood pool . The jet that was supposed to be pushing water OUT, was sucking IN, (this was RIGHT UNDER THE LIFEGUARD STAND), and my son got suctioned in to the side of the pool and at 8 years old could not pull himself away. I noticed from across the pool something was amiss, and just as I was coming to the rescue, he pulled free, popped up, and told me in between breaths what had happened. I am SO thankful he was ok. The lifeguard fixed the issue immediately.
Summer Water Safety- Listen for the Silence
Summer weather means increased time in our pools, lakes and
oceans. Besides knowing how to swim, and knowing water safety procedures, it is important to become familiar with the signs of drowning.
Drowning doesn’t always involve screaming and the flailing about of arms.
Please take a few minutes to read about The Instinctive Drowning Response, Dry Drowning, and Secondary Drowning.
The Instinctive Drowning Response
Contrary to what we see in the movies or on television, a person who is drowning does not call out for help or flail their arms about.
Because of our innate protective response, a drowning person cannot call out for help because as their mouth reaches the surface of the water, they are trying to take in air. The need for air supercedes speech.
Their arms appear to be slapping down the water. What they are doing is an autonomic response of the person to push down on the water so that they can lift their bodies out of the water.
Dry drowning usually occurs immediately after someone has taken in water through the nose or mouth and it causes a spasm in the airway. This is noticeable after the occurrance.
Secondary drowning may not present for 24 hours after a person has ingested some water. The water goes into the lungs and can cause some inflammation or swelling,making it difficult to breathe.
While they both happen rarely, they can still happen. It’s important to know the warning signs.
Let’s all have a safe summer!
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