Tag: Float to Live

RNLI’s Swim Safe returns to Scotland to deliver free sea safety lessons

This summer, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) has teamed up with Swim England to offer children aged 7 – 14 the opportunity to learn lifesaving water safety skills.

Last year, the RNLI in Scotland saw 267,191 visitors on the lifesaving charity’s eight lifeguarded beaches and expect that number to increase this summer.

Local delivery partners around the UK supported by the national governing body for swimming in England and the RNLI are running free Swim Safe sessions to teach children aged 7-14 how to stay safe in and around open water and what to do if they, or someone else, gets in difficulty – including how to Float to Live.

Since 2013, the Swim Safe programme has delivered free lifesaving sessions to more than 148,000 children across the UK.

Run by local partners with qualified lifeguards and instructors in four locations in Scotland in July and September, the sessions provide children with both water safety advice on land and in-water tuitions.

Iona Hamilton, RNLI Lifeguard Supervisor and Swim Safe Co-ordinator, said: ‘Last summer, RNLI lifeguards aided nearly 400 people across the eight beaches in Scotland. By educating children about water safety from a young age, together we can help reduce the number of incidents around our coasts.

‘Swim Safe is a great way for young people to learn about the different dangers associated with open water swimming in a safe and fun environment with qualified instructors and lifeguards.

‘We want children and parents to enjoy the beautiful beaches around Scotland but also to consider their own safety and know what to do in an emergency.’

As part of the session, participants will have the opportunity put into practice the vital message of ‘Float to Live’, which could save the lives of them or other.

This is a simple technique where you lean on your back and use your arms and legs to stay afloat. It allows you to control your breathing, then call for help or swim to safety and is proven to save lives. 

The RNLI’s key water safety advice for 7-14 year-olds is:

  • Stop and think – Always swim in a safe place.
  • Stay together – Always swim with an adult, younger children should always be within arms reach.
  • Float – If you find yourself in trouble in the water, float on your back like a starfish.
  • Call 999 in an emergency and ask for the Coastguard.

To find out more or to sign up for a RNLI Swim Safe session, visit:

https://swimsafe.org.uk/

Public urged to Respect The Water

Latest statistics show accidental drowning deaths increased again last year, with more dying at inland water than around the coast

There were 277 deaths in the UK from accidental drownings in 2021 across inland and coastal locations. This is an increase of 23 from the previous year. Accidental drownings form part of the total water-related fatalities in the UK – for 2021 the total number of deaths in water was 616, a decrease of 15 from the previous year.

The statistics and figures in the report are from the Water Incident Database (WAID), which is maintained by the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF), and the key accidental drowning death insights are as follows:

• Inland open waters, such as rivers, canals, lakes, reservoirs and quarries continue to be the leading locations with 62 per cent of deaths (N=168).

• Males continue to over represent with 83 per cent of deaths (N=230).

• 40 per cent of people had no intention to enter the water, such as those walking, with causes including slips, trips and falls, being cut off by the tide, or being swept in by waves (N= 107).

Following this concerning increase in accidental water-related deaths last year, the National Water Safety Forum (NWSF) is reminding people of the following lifesaving advice to help people enjoy our waterways and coastlines, particularly as warmer weather arrives, but water temperatures remain dangerously cold. 

  • If you get into trouble in the water, Float to Live.
  • Lean back and use your arms and legs to help you float, then get control of your breathing before calling for help or swimming to safety.
  • If you see someone else in trouble in the water, call 999 or 112. If you are at the coast ask for the coastguard, if you are inland, ask for the fire service.

The collaborating members of the NWSF, come from a wide range of sectors including sports governing bodies, rescue services, charities, regulators, navigation and harbour authorities, local government, utilities and those representing quarry operators.

Later this summer NWSF will be launching its new #RespectTheWater campaign ahead of UN World Drowning Prevention Day on July 25th.

The campaign will be promoted nationally to raise awareness of key safety advice and support the Forum’s mission to reduce drowning.

Dawn Whittaker, CEO East Sussex Fire Rescue Service & NWSF Chair said: “The pandemic continued to present considerable challenges at our coastal and inland waterways last year as more people had staycations.

“The #RespectTheWater campaign is designed to help prevent further deaths and injuries in water.

“We urge the public to understand the dangers, to learn the importance of knowing how to float to live, and to call 999 if others are in trouble and if there is a water related emergency.

“We have seen increased numbers participating in water sports and water-based activities and consequently a rise of the number of incidents associated with activities such as Stand-up Paddle boarding and Open Water Swimming. We want people to enjoy the water safely, so we will continue to focus on guidance, education and awareness for the public. 

“We will continue to work together to reduce deaths caused by drowning and water related injuries in the UK, and endeavour to reach our collective goal of halving accidental drownings in the UK by 2026. The global water safety community is onboard with a UN resolution recognising the scale and burden of drowning, calling for urgent international action.”

To view and download the WAID 2021 report visit: 

https://www.nationalwatersafety.org.uk/waid

Cold Water Shock: Float to Live

Cold water shock affects your ability to breathe or swim, and leads to drowning. It can affect even the strongest swimmers.

All waters around the UK are cold enough to induce the cold shock effects, even in high summer.

More info: https://rebrand.ly/qpzfccl@RLSSUK@rnli@rospa

The term ‘cold water shock’ refers to a range of natural reactions that our bodies take to protect us when we enter cold water (although these reactions can sometimes work against us). And with cold water being anything from approximately the temperature of a swimming pool and below, we are not just talking about icy cold water here.

So what are the effects of Cold Water Shock?

There are three stages that your body goes through during cold water shock, starting with one that you will be familiar with a mild version of from getting into the swimming pool…a gasp for breath, this is then followed by rapid breathing (hyperventilation).

At the same time as your breathing goes out of control, your blood pressure shoots up as your body tries to keep your blood warm by moving it towards the middle of your body (this is why you go pale when you’re cold).

Once your breathing is back under control, this is your window to get out of the water before the further effects of cold water shock kick in.

As your muscles cool, your strength, endurance and muscle control reduces to the point when you can’t swim any longer so can’t rescue yourself. The point at which you can’t swim any more is called ‘swim failure’, and if you haven’t got out of the water or managed to get hold of a buoyancy aid (like a lifejacket) by this time, you will drown.

What about hypothermia?

There is a lot of talk of people dying from hypothermia after falling into cold water, but the truth is that unless they have a way of surviving past the point of swim failure (like wearing a lifejacket), you will drown before you become hypothermic.

Even in really cold water, it takes at least 30 minutes for you to become hypothermic. Crucially, hypothermia remains a risk even when you get out of the water unless you get out of the cold and warm up efficiently and quickly.

Is cold water shock really responsible for lots of drownings?

It is difficult to identify if cold water shock was the cause of a drowning or not, but this is what we know:

  1. All waters around the UK are cold enough to induce the cold shock effects, even in high summer.
  2. Over 60% of drownings are of people who have ended up in the water by accident, so they’re normally very close to the edge, but something stops them from being able to get out safely.
  3. A sudden rise in blood pressure can be fatal for people with a pre-existing heart condition. Each year a number of people who are suspected of drowning, turn out to have had a heart attack.
  4. Studies show that people’s ability to swim in cold water is much less than their ability in a warm swimming pool.
  5. Survivors of drowning have described how the effects of cold water shock made it difficult for them to survive.

What should you do if you fall into the water?

First, keep your mouth away from the water until you have your breathing back under control, you can do this by rolling onto your back and floating or paddling to stay at the surface.

Then, don’t waste any time and swim towards an exit before your muscles start to cool, or swim towards something that will help you to stay afloat whilst you are calling for help.

Finally, once you are out of the water re-warm yourself as soon as you can to avoid hypothermia.

Drowning Prevention Week is the national campaign run by the Royal Life Saving Society UK to cut down the number of drownings that occur each year. Please support RLSS UK by donating to help save lives

Prof Mike Tipton, Cold Water Shock

Professor Mike Tipton of the University of Portsmouth provides an excellent insight into the effects of cold water, why it can be dangerous and what can be done to keep yourself safe.

Warning: this video will save lives.