FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE August 1, 2011
Contact:
Dave Benjamin Bob Pratt - Surfboard Rescue Techniques Instructor
Class Organizer Fire Marshal & Water Rescue Expert
708-903-0166 East Lansing, MI
dpaulben@hotmail.com 517-256-4600
Do You Know What Drowning Looks Like?
The Myths and the Signs of Drowning
It’s important for all water recreationalist to know the “Myths” and “Signs of Drowning”.
The Myths of drowning:
- A drowning person will wave for help. When a person is drowning, they can’t swim to lift up their hand and wave.
- A drowning person will call out for help. Speech is a secondary function of the respiratory system. When the primary function – breathing – is not being satisfied, the secondary function cannot occur.
The Signs of Drowning:
- The person is facing shore
- Head back and mouth open
- Vertical in water
- Barely breaking the surface with arms
- Making no forward movement
- Hair in face
- Look of panic
- Ladder Climb movements – rarely out of the water
(http://www.southbendtribune.com/sbt-would-you-know-if-someone-were-drowning-20110702,0,1303786.story)
Additional Source: http://gcaptain.com/drowning/?10981
Published: June 16th, 2010 by Mario Vittone, “Drowning doesn’t look like drowning”
The third “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class of 2011 will be hosted Sunday, August 7, in the Grand Haven State Park Pavilion, Grand Haven, MI 49635.
9:30 a.m., Meet-n-Greet
10:00 a.m., Classroom Session
11:15 a.m. Water Session
The “Surfboard Rescue Techniques” class will teach participants how to:
--Recognize the danger of the surf environment keeping personal safety as THE primary responsibility – Identifying hazardous conditions
--Understand rip currents; i.e. how, where, and why rip currents occur; How to survive rips;
--Know the “Signs of Drowning” – How to identify a person in trouble from within a crowd.
--Summon help
--Use a surfboard or other flotation device to rescue a person in distress or in a rip current
--React when encountering swimmers who have suffered an injury
--React to an unconscious victim
--Enroll in lifesaving, first aid and CPR training from accredited agencies.
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ABOUT THE GREAT LAKES SURF RESCUE PROJECT
Created by Bob Pratt, the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project is made up of Great Lakes surfers dedicated to reducing drowning incidents on the Great Lakes. Surfers have a long history of rescues along our coasts. As surfers we are often in the water when conditions are most dangerous: high surf and cold water. By educating surfers to the dangers of RIP currents and hypothermia we can reduce the likelihood of them becoming victims but more importantly, by educating them to use their surfboard as a rescue tool, more lives can be saved. http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Great-Lakes-Surf-Rescue-Project/120501018657?sk=info
ABOUT THE THIRD COAST OCEAN FORCE RIP CURRENT AWARENESS
Because the Great Lakes are referred to as the “Third Coast” of the United States and the “Third Coast” can have “Ocean Force” rip currents during windy weather conditions – the Third Coast Ocean Force community project was created to:
- Support the existence of the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project’s efforts to educate surfers and other water rescue personnel to use surfboards as lifesaving devices;
- Encourage lake surfers to obtain CPR Certificates and Life Guard Certificates;
- Publicize instances where lake surfers or water rescue personnel rescued swimmers from rip currents/drowning;
- Support a summer-long rip current awareness public relations campaign.
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