Drowning Doesn’t Look Like Drowning

[peace in every step]

For everyone who spends time with children (and adults) in water ... [FONT=arial, sans-serif]Below is an article that describes what drowning REALLY looks like. Some of the signs are actually not well known There may be signs and the fact that it often occurs in plain sight without others. have fun and be safe![/FONT]


http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/


Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning


The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know – from fifty feet away – what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, “Daddy,” she hadn’t made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

• Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
• Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
• Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
• Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
• From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006 (page 14))

​

This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.

So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OK – don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all – they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents – children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.

(See a video of the Instinctive Drowning Response)

Join me on Facebook

___________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

[uglyducking]

thanks for the post.

 

[悠哉客]

For everyone who spends time with children (and adults) in water ... [FONT=arial, sans-serif]Below is an article that describes what drowning REALLY looks like. Some of the signs are actually not well known There may be signs and the fact that it often occurs in plain sight without others. have fun and be safe![/FONT]


http://mariovittone.com/2010/05/154/


Drowning Doesn't Look Like Drowning


The new captain jumped from the deck, fully dressed, and sprinted through the water. A former lifeguard, he kept his eyes on his victim as he headed straight for the couple swimming between their anchored sportfisher and the beach. “I think he thinks you’re drowning,” the husband said to his wife. They had been splashing each other and she had screamed but now they were just standing, neck-deep on the sand bar. “We’re fine, what is he doing?” she asked, a little annoyed. “We’re fine!” the husband yelled, waving him off, but his captain kept swimming hard. ”Move!” he barked as he sprinted between the stunned owners. Directly behind them, not ten feet away, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. Safely above the surface in the arms of the captain, she burst into tears, “Daddy!”

How did this captain know – from fifty feet away – what the father couldn’t recognize from just ten? Drowning is not the violent, splashing, call for help that most people expect. The captain was trained to recognize drowning by experts and years of experience. The father, on the other hand, had learned what drowning looks like by watching television. If you spend time on or near the water (hint: that’s all of us) then you should make sure that you and your crew knows what to look for whenever people enter the water. Until she cried a tearful, “Daddy,” she hadn’t made a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescue swimmer, I wasn’t surprised at all by this story. Drowning is almost always a deceptively quiet event. The waving, splashing, and yelling that dramatic conditioning (television) prepares us to look for, is rarely seen in real life.

The Instinctive Drowning Response – so named by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D., is what people do to avoid actual or perceived suffocation in the water. And it does not look like most people expect. There is very little splashing, no waving, and no yelling or calls for help of any kind. To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC). Drowning does not look like drowning – Dr. Pia, in an article in the Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine, described the instinctive drowning response like this:

• Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled, before speech occurs.
• Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
• Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water, permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
• Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
• From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.

(Source: On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006 (page 14))

​

This doesn’t mean that a person that is yelling for help and thrashing isn’t in real trouble – they are experiencing aquatic distress. Not always present before the instinctive drowning response, aquatic distress doesn’t last long – but unlike true drowning, these victims can still assist in their own rescue. They can grab lifelines, throw rings, etc.

Look for these other signs of drowning when persons are in the water:

• Head low in the water, mouth at water level
• Head tilted back with mouth open
• Eyes glassy and empty, unable to focus
• Eyes closed
• Hair over forehead or eyes
• Not using legs – Vertical
• Hyperventilating or gasping
• Trying to swim in a particular direction but not making headway
• Trying to roll over on the back
• Appear to be climbing an invisible ladder.

So if a crew member falls overboard and everything looks OK – don’t be too sure. Sometimes the most common indication that someone is drowning is that they don’t look like they’re drowning. They may just look like they are treading water and looking up at the deck. One way to be sure? Ask them, “Are you alright?” If they can answer at all – they probably are. If they return a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to them. And parents – children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you get to them and find out why.

(See a video of the Instinctive Drowning Response)

Join me on Facebook

___________

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed by the author are not necessarily those of the Department of Homeland Security or the U.S. Coast Guard.

 

[Mr.CFC]

溺水常常不像是溺水
2010年5月18日，Mario著寫

新任船长，無暇換上泳裝，从驾驶舱中跳入水中急速穿行。從前當過救生员，新船長一路游向船主，船主當時正和太太在他們停泊的漁艇與海滩之间的水面戲水，新船長緊盯著他要拯救的受害者。“我想他以为你快溺水了。”丈夫告诉他的妻子。他们剛才互相泼水嬉戏，妻子曾經發出尖叫，但现在他们在水深及頸的沙地上站著。“我们没事，他要做什么？”妻子问，有点兒不高興。“我们没事！”丈夫喊道，招手示意請他离开，但是他的船长继续奋力向前游。“讓開!”在迅速游過惊讶不已的船主前，他大聲喊道。就在他们背后，不到10英尺的距離，他们9岁的女儿正在溺水中。被船长抱著安全地浮到水面上後，女儿终于哭喊出聲，“爸爸！”

這位船长怎么知道 – 在50英尺距離外 – 連在十尺远的父亲都沒有发覺的事情？溺水并不是人们想象中的溺水者在水中猛烈挣扎至水花飞溅，然后奋力呼喊求救的情景。船长经过专家培训和多年经验才培养出准确辨认溺水情况的能力。相反地，这位父亲是从看电视來揣測溺水的情况。如果你长时间在水上、或靠近水边 (提示: 指我们所有人)，那么你就得確定你和你的團員們都知道，只要有人下水，大家都該注意些甚麼。直到小女孩哭喊出“爸爸”，她一直都没有出过声。從前曾任拯救游泳者的海岸警卫，我对这个故事一点也不感覺惊讶。溺水一直都是在誤導人的、无声无息的情況下發生地。在电视上出现的招手、水花四溅、和呼喊等戏剧情节，在实際生活裏很少見到。

由Francesco A. Pia博士所訂的名稱: 溺水本能反应，是指人們在水中對正在發生的、或者察覺到的溺水情况的防止反射動作，而这与人们想像的溺水情況大相径庭。溺水发生时，很少有水花四溅、没有招手、也沒有呼喊求救声。为了让大家了解溺水發生时到底可以多安静、多平常，大家想想： 溺水是15岁年齡以下儿童意外死亡的第二大杀手(交通事故佔第一位) – 每年大约750名儿童遭溺水，其中大約有375名在距离父母或其他大人25码距離之內發生溺水。而這750件溺水意外中，其中有十分之一實際上是在大人们眼前發生，而大人們毫無意識到意外正在進行 (資訊来源：CDC)。溺水常常不像是溺水 – Pia博士，在海岸警卫队现场杂志(Coast Guard’s On Scene Magazine)的文章中，描述溺水本能反应如下：

1. 除了极少数情况，溺水的人因生理受到限制無法呼救。呼吸系统的構造是用来呼吸的，言语则是次要或附屬功能。人一定要先能呼吸，才能說話。

2. 溺水者的嘴巴在水的表面時沉時浮。溺水者的嘴巴在水面的时间不夠让他们呼气、吸气和呼救。当溺水者的嘴巴在水面上時，他們得在嘴巴又沉下水去以前，急速地呼氣吸气。

3. 溺水者無法招手求救。動物本能迫使他们双臂向兩侧伸展，往水面向下按压。自水面向下按压就好比杠杆作用，让溺水者身體能够浮出水面，所以他們的嘴巴可以探出水面呼吸。

4. 因為溺水本能反应，溺水者無法主动控制他们的双臂。从生理上讲，

在水面挣扎的溺水者，無法停止下沉，無法做出招手求救、向营救者移

动、或伸手去抓救生器材等动作。

5. 因為溺水本能反应，人的身体自始至終在水內保持直立，没有任何踢腿幫助浮水的跡象。除非被訓練過的救生员营救，这些溺水者沉水前，在水中只有20到60秒挣扎的時間。

(来源：現場雜誌 : 2006秋季刊物 On Scene Magazine: Fall 2006 (第14 页))

这不表示一个在水中呼喊求救和乱窜乱跳的人沒有危险 – 他们在水裏正面臨着危急情状。本能的溺水反应還沒出现前，水上緊急情況時間不长 – 不像真正的溺水，这些危急中的人還能自救。他们可以抓住救生索，救生圈等等。

當人们在水中时，注意其他的ㄧ些溺水迹象：

• 头沉入水；嘴巴在水面上

• 头向后倾斜；嘴巴开开

• 眼神呆滞，空洞，無法精神集中

• 雙眼紧闭

• 头发散落在额头或眼睛上

• 沒有運用双腿 – 身體維持垂直

• 呼吸急促、或大口喘气

• 尝试向某个方向游去，但是却不能前进

• 尝试翻身

• 像爬楼梯般，但無法探出水面

所以如果一位新船员从船上落水， 并且看起来一切正常 – 請不要太过肯定。有时候最常见的溺水征兆就是溺水者看起来不像在溺水。他们也许看起来像在踩水、並抬頭看著甲板。确认的方法是甚麼？問他们，“你还好吗？”如果他们能够回答 – 他们可能还好。如果他们的回应是呆滯的目光，你只有30秒不到的时间去营救他们。还有，父母們 – 孩子们在水中玩耍时会发出吵闹声。当他们变得安静的时候，你应该去看看他们，並探詢他們突然安静的原因。

 

[Mr.CFC]

这篇文章太重要了