Welcome toStill 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 WaterFact 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