If you see someone drowning, first call for people and dial 110/120 (China's police and ambulance numbers), reach with a pole or throw something that floats, and don't go into the water yourself
- High value
- Evidence C
- Buys life
- Free
- Takes minutes
- Some willpower
In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.
In plain words
A drowning person instinctively pushes a rescuer under the water, and the person who goes in may drown too. The order is: shout for people → dial 110/120 → hold out a long pole or rope → throw a life ring, an empty bucket or a plastic water bottle → if the person is out of the water and not breathing, start pressing right away. Don't form a chain of linked hands and go in. About 300,000 people drown each year worldwide, and it is the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4.
- Cost
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Free. The hard part is holding back the urge to jump in.
- What you get
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WHO: about 300,000 people drown each year worldwide, 92% of them in low- and middle-income countries. Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4, and the third for ages 5 to 14. WHO's recommended intervention is "training in safe rescue and resuscitation," such as first learning rescues that don't involve entering the water. The order is: shout for people → make the call → hold out a long pole or rope, throw a life ring, an empty bucket or a plastic water bottle → once the person is out of the water and not breathing, press right away
- Notes
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Graded C because no official original text was found for the "don't go into the water" rule, only WHO's death figures and the direction of "safe rescue." Don't link hands in a chain and go in. If you have no training, don't try to drag the person, because a drowning person will push the rescuer down. "Don't go in the water" is again a self-protecting rule: the person who goes in drowns too, and it makes no difference who the one in the water is. The person you actually have to save is mostly your own child, and how to prevent that is in §1.12 (keep children in sight near water). If someone falls through a hole in the ice, likewise don't run onto the ice to pull them; for preventing ice accidents see §1.41 (measure the thickness of outdoor ice first).
- Evidence grade
- C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.
- Sources
Mentioned in
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 25. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer