Welcome to

Still Water Rescue

Operation Level

Training

The Goal of this class:

• Ensure personal safety during water

emergency operation.

• Identify all possible hazards.

• Fully utilize all witnesses.

• Conduct shore-based rescue operations

What Equipment do

we use?

Datum Point

Recues Tube

Surface Water Fact Sheet

• 2/3 of the earth is water

• ½ the earths population will enter the water each year

• #1 outdoor recreation is water activities

• #2 cause of accidental deaths for people under 44 is drowning

• #3 cause of accidental deaths for all people is drowning

• About 5,000 drownings are reported each year

• Men drown 4X more than women

• 13% of all drownings are 4 years of age or younger

• Most drownings occur within 10 ft of safety and 50ft of shore

• 2 out of 3 drowning victims are non swimmers

• 10% of drowngs occur at guarded pools and beaches

• 60% in rual lakes, ponds, streams, and water holes

• 30% occur at home

• The longest time for submersion with complete recovery was 66 min. (June , 1986, in Salt

Lake City, Utah)

Signs of a Distressed

Swimmer

• struggling

• keeping head barely out of the water

• submerging uncontrollably

• gasping, fixed eyes

• time in the water for weather conditions

and water temp.

• You will NOT see: Hollywood style of

arm splashing, yelling “I’m Drowning!!””

Scene Management • Size Up

• Set Zones • Hot - In the Water

• Warm- 10ft from Shore, PFD required, Utilize scene tape

• Cold- Beyond the scene tape

• Establish Command

• Determine Rescue Swimmers

• Isolate Witnesses

• Make a Plan

• Call for Resources • Extra Eng. Co.

• Dive Team- Mercer Island, Renton, King County Sheriff

• Local PD for crowd control

• Chaplin(s)

Active Rescue

Locate Victim

Witnesses Utilization

• Separate the witnesses to the locations last seen.

• Use triangulation for possible datum point.

• Do not allow witnesses to compare stories

• Location of witness last seen victim (mark with cones)

• Time victim last seen

• What did they look like (swim ability, age, gender, clothes)

• How deep was the water

• Was victim alone?

• How long have they been missing?

• Your calmness is the name of the game!

Triangulation

• Have the witness go to the same location and position

they were in when they saw the victim last.

• Place cone at that location until incident is terminated

to the end.

• Have witness find a fixed object beyond that point for

you to see. Document location so it can be used for

datum point placement.

• Do this with as many witnesses as you can so rescue

swimmers can place datum points for possible search

sites.

• Always remember to also do on-shore searches.

Active Rescue of Visible Victims Things to consider…

• First on Scene, One on shore(IC) and

two rescue swimmers

• When rescue swimmers approach Pt. in

water, one swimmer affects recue while

other acts as back up.

• Initiate a surface water rescue

• Pt. exam

• Incident termination

Surface Water Rescue

of Non-Visible Victims

• Size Up

• Zones

• Implement the ICS

• Conduct a Risk/Benefit Analysis

• Primary Assessment

• Secondary Assessment

• Resource Assessment

Cont...

• Site control and Scene Mgt.

• Assist Rescue Divers, other resources

• EMS

• Incident Termination

Safety First!

- Pre-plan - PPE

- Size UP - Equipment

- IC - Communication

- Safety off. - Personal swimming

ability

- Hazards

Personal Safety

• How deep is too deep?

• When was the last time you went

swimming? Do you know your limits?

• Do you know what to expect from a

panicked person in the water?

• Operations level can go into the water up

to their waist with a PFD!

Operations Level PPE

• Minimum, type 3 USCG PFD

• with light and whistle

• No bunker gear!

Types of Thermal

Protection:

Size Up

• What do you have?

• What is your plan?

• What do you need?

• What are you doing?

Factors for Size Up:

• Safety

• Location & number of victims

• With or without flotation

• Distance from shore

• # of victims on surface poss. under water

• Hazards

• Risk/Benefit, Rescue vs Recovery

Hazards

• Weather Bottom conditions

• Bridges Submerged objects

• Docks Boat traffic

• Temp. Water

Reaching Assist

Throwing Assist

Human Chain

Linear search

Half Circle Search

Boats/PWC

Victim Removal

• Victim packaging for water

rescue

• Info. needed

• Neck and back injuries

• Rapid extraction

What can Operations Level

do? • Use PFD’s

• Get info./witnesses/cones/Datum Points

• Reach and Throw Assist

• set up ICS

• Set up zones

• Set up equipment

• EMS

• Assist Rescue Swimmers/Divers

Your Typical Rescue: • You are first at scene

• Grab all your water rescue stuff/PFD’s

• Make contact with family/witnesses

• What do you have? What do you need?

• Is the victim seen or underwater?

• What can you safely do?

• Separate witnesses and find Datum

Points

• Use cones, give info., asst. Rescue

Swimmers

Questions?

Please contact one of your shift instuctors:

A shift: Tom Craig/Jeff Storey

B shift: Mark Vetter/Steve Williams

C shift: Kyle Wood/TomTull