Reread before each summer swimming season...

My daughter drowned in 2 !!! meters away from me ... as if she were climbing the stairs, jerking my legs convulsively with ABSOLUTELY QUIET FACE! In 3 meters from the shore, although if she had gone under the water, she would have felt that 10 cm from her feet was the bottom! Something prompted me xthat she was drowning ... and I pushed her to the shore, where there were already tears and cry and awareness of what happened, but not happened ...

It is necessary for everyone to know!

The new captain jumped off the bridge, fully clothed, and swam quickly. As a former rescuer, he kept his eyes on the victim, heading straight for a couple of vacationers, floating between an anchored boat and a beach. "I suppose he thinks you're drowning," the man said to his wife. They played in the water, squirting at each other, and she cried out from time to time, but now they just stood on the sandy shallows around the neck in the water. "Everything is in order, what does he do?" She asked with some irritation. "We are all right!" - shouted her husband, waving the rescuer's hand, but the captain did not stop to stop. "Off the road!" He shouted, swimming between the amazed boat owners. Right behind them, just three meters from her father, their nine-year-old daughter was drowning. When the captain pulled her out of the water, she burst into tears: "Daddy!"

How did the captain, 15 meters from the rest, understand what his father could not understand, being only three meters from the drowning girl? When a person drowns, he does not produce a sharp and piercing scream for help, as most people believe. The captain was taught to recognize drowning by professionals and many years of experience. On the other hand, the father drew information about the appearance of a drowning person from television programs. If you spend time on the water or on the shore (and this is done from time to time), you need to make sure that you and the people around you know by what signs you can determine that a person is drowning, even before entering the water. Before the little girl screamed "Daddy!" With tears, she did not make a sound. As a former Coast Guard rescuer, I was not surprised by this story. When a person drowns, it is rarely accompanied by any sounds. Waving hands, splashes and screams, to which we are prepared by television, are very rare in real life.

"Instinctive Drowning Response", called so by Dr. Francesco A. Pia, is what people do to avoid actual or alleged strangulation when immersed in water. And it looks not at all like most people think. No waving, splashing and shouting for help. In order to better understand how this process from the shore looks quietly and unseasonably, think about this: among children under the age of 15, drowning is the second most common cause of death (immediately after road crashes), and of about 750 children who drown in the next every second will drown at a distance of no more than 20 meters from their parents or other adults. In some cases, the adult will even directly observe how the child drowns, unaware of what is actually happening.

The drowning people are seldom similar to drowning ones, and in his article in On Scene, owned by the Coast Guard, Dr. Pia describes in detail the instinctive reactions of a drowning man as follows:

1. Except rare cases, sinking people are physiologically incapable of calling for help. A person's breathing system is designed for breathing. Speech is its secondary function. Before speech becomes possible, it is necessary to restore the function of breathing.

2. The mouth of the sinking person alternately goes under the water and appears above its surface. The mouth of a drowning person is not long enough above the water to allow him to exhale, inhale and call for help. When a drowning person emerges from the water, they have time, only to exhale and inhale quickly, after which he immediately goes under the water again.

3. Sinking people cannot wave their arms to attract attention. They instinctively stretch their hands to the sides in an attempt to push off the water. Such movements allow them to float to the surface to be able to breathe.

4. Because of instinctive reactions, drowning people cannot control movements with their hands. People trying to stay on the surface of the water are physiologically unable to stop drowning and make meaningful movements - waving their arms, trying to get closer to the rescuers or getting to the rescue equipment.

5. From the beginning to the end, while the instinctive reaction acts, the body of the drowning person remains in an upright position, without the slightest signs of supporting movements with the feet. If the prepared rescuer does not pull it out of the water, the drowning person can survive at the surface for 20 to 60 seconds before completely withdrawing into the water.

This does not mean that a person who calls for help and desperately waving his arms deceives you - most likely, this is a panic attack in the water. Such an attack does not always precede the instinctive reaction of a drowning person and often lasts only for a very short time, but unlike a real drowning, the victims of such a panic on the water can help their rescuers - for example, grab the lifebuoy.

When you are on the shore or in the water, you need to pay close attention to the following signs, indicating that the person is drowning:

 • The head of the victim is immersed in water, and the mouth is at its very surface;
 • The head is thrown back, the mouth is open;
 • Glassy, empty eyes do not focus;
 • The victim's eyes are closed;
 • Hair covers the forehead or eyes;
 • The victim is kept in the water in an upright position without moving the legs;
 • The victim breathes often and superficially, grasps the air;
 • Attempts to swim in a certain direction, but without success;
 • Tries to roll on his back;
 • It may seem that the victim climbs the rope ladder.

Therefore, if a person falls overboard and everything looks normal, you should not calm down ahead of time. Sometimes the most important sign that a person is drowning is that they do not look like a drowning person. It may seem that they are just trying to stay on the water and looking at the deck. How to determine if everything is all right? Ask a simple question: "Are you all right?" If a person answers at least something, then, perhaps, they are not threatened. If you see an empty look in response to your question, you have only half a minute to get the victim out of the water. And, parents, remember: children playing in the water, make noise. If they stop making noise, get them out of the water and find out why.

Distribute this article among your family and friends. The more people read the more saved people will be!
 

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