Water SafetyDavid Webster

November 2014

Plan for this evening

1. Water Awareness Water is wet, cold & dangerous:

stay away.

2. Bank Search Theory You don’t need to stay away, but

don’t get wet.

3. Bodies in Water (optional) What to expect if our misper got

wet.

ALSAR Water Training

(Defra based)

Water Awareness

(WA, mod 1)

Bank Searcher(BS)

Bank Search Team Leader

Water Rescue First Responder

(FR, mod 2)

Swiftwater Rescue

Technician(SRT, mod 3)

Swiftwater Boat Operator(mod 4)

Everyone needs WA

We’d like everyone to do BS

Future?

Floods/in water search

Only needed for training

Useful? Too much training?

Water Awareness

David WebsterNovember 2014

FR / SRT

BS

WA / Public

Copyright Rescue 3 Europe Ltd.

Warm zone is:

Warm zone is minimum of 3m from water’s edge: does not include:

Transiting along: “routes for access or egress, bridges etc”

Shallow water, where: “PPE would not enhance the safety”

3m can be extended by TL with a DRA

Weir

Strainer

Eddy

Lock

People

FloodingTakes everything we’ve discussed to the next level of danger

Water is cold:

Average temperature lakes/rivers: 5oc Winter / 18oc Summer (<21 =

cold) Cold Shock Response:

Sudden gasp Hyperventilation Cardiac arrest

Cold Incapacitation Hypothermia

Water is polluted:

Don’t drink it. Wash hands after contact. Be aware of flu-like symptoms. Consider inoculations against: Hepatitis, Typhoid, Tetanus (Defra rec.)

Bank SearchTheory

David WebsterNovember 2014

Dynamic Upstream SearchTeam: 1x TL, 1 or 2x Safety, 1x Searcher

Bank Search PPEEach team

2 x Throwline 2 x Karabiners 2 x Knife 2 x Pole TL Kit. Night:

Search Torch(es)

Each person

PFD Yellow Helmet (White for TL) Whistle Reduced Search Kit? Night:

Head Torch Glowsticks:

Yellow on Helmet Green on Throwbag

Team Leader’s Responsibilities

Ensure searchers’ safety Continuously monitor the condition of

the searchers (e.g. effect of weather, fatigue, etc...)

Have overall control of searchers’ effectiveness and positioning

Maintain visual and verbal contact with searchers

Initiate emergency action if necessary

Just the same as in any other sector, but in a higher risk scenario

Team Leaders: DRA.

Searcher safety The potential need for rescue Available resources, PPE Lighting Current, past & expected weather Communications Downstream safety Additional hazards (e.g. bio, chem.,

electrical etc.)

The greatest difficulty may be in stopping an unsafe search or rescue attempt

SM/TL Risk AssessmentSearch Manager

Duration of Immersion Familiarity of area Light Weather Downstream Hazards Comms Access

Bank Search Team Leader

River Levels High/low, rising/stable/falling

Terrain Steep or flat

Bank Conditions Clear or not?

Water Grade 1 = flat 2 = flat & flowing 3 = small rapids 4 = large rapids

Water Speed Meters/second

Rescue Options & Principles

Rescue Priorities

You Team Public Casulty

Looking after yourself first is the most important thing you will learn today.

Absolutes of Water Rescue

Wear PPE in the Warm Zone. Wear it correctly. Never put your feet down if swept away. Once the casualty is contacted, never lose

them. Never count on a casualty helping themselves. Keep It Simple. Always use the right equipment. Never tie a rope around a rescuer. Never tension rope at a right angle to the

current. The Clean Rope Principle

Rescue Options

Shout Reach Throw NOT: Row NOT: Go

Casualty Management

Get an ambulance. Drowning people panic. They will be cold. Keep horizontal. Survival bag & warm dry clothes.

Communications:

Whistle: short blasts:

1. Stop. Look towards whistler

2. Look (/move) upstream

3. Look (/move) downstream In Emergency:

3 long blasts repeated

Check signals with team during brief

If you fall in:

Do NOT try to stand up in moving water.

Float on your back, letting PFD do the work.

Feet up, pointing down stream.

Look around you and listen

Bodies in WaterDavid Webster

November 2014

Stats

4 people per day drown 75% in inland water 2/3 accidental, 1/3 suicide Typically young adults & children, but

Grampian lists for almost all ages Autistic Mispers: 90% of fatalities due

to drowning

If you find a body in water

Treat as you would a dry body. Your safety. Signs of life? Crime scene?

What to look for:

Bodies are always face down, head hanging lower than body Head injuries? Immersion artefacts:

Goose bumps Swelling & wrinkling Waxy substance

Bodies sink Resurface time depends on water temp

Jan/Feb: possible no resurfacing Apr, May, Sep, Oct: 3 -5 days Jun, Jul, Aug: 2 days Nov, Dec: 10 – 14 days

Find locations

Suspected find locations: Strainers Eddies Weirs Outside of bends Bridge Stanchions Undercut banks Pools of water after rapids

Clues: Piles of clothes Slip/entry points

Questions?

More Information

See D4H for: Defra Concept of Flood Ops ALSAR Standard Operating

Procedures Bank Search Training Notes Dundee Drowning Research and more

Consider: rescue3europe.com