Buzz
You need to identify potential hazards, understand your own swimming abilities, and equip yourself with basic survival skills in case of emergencies.
7 essential reminders to prevent drowning incidents during beach vacations
Summer has arrived along with plans to head to the beach, enjoy water parks, and cool off in pools. However, these hotspots harbor potential drowning risks for anyone. Here are some reminders to avoid these hazards.
Identify the factors putting you at risk
Several factors influence the risk of drowning, including lack of swimming skills, ignorance of personal limits, lack of supervision from lifeguards and adults, alcohol consumption, according to NBC Washington.
Next up is location. Different age groups face different drowning risks in various places: most children aged 1 to 4 drown in swimming pools, while individuals aged 15 and above often perish from drowning in natural bodies of water such as ponds, lakes, rivers, and seas...
When participating in underwater sports such as kayaking, windsurfing... everyone should wear life jackets. Many victims in drowning incidents involving sunken boats lose their lives due to lack of life jacket usage.
Minimizing Drowning Risks at Home
If you have a home pool, install four-sided fences to prevent the possibility of someone falling into the water. Experts recommend fences with self-closing gates and locks out of children's reach as optimal.
Store boats, floats, balls, and other toys away from the pool area to prevent children from playing around when unsupervised by adults.
Beach Swimming Safety
Many beaches lack lifeguards, so travelers need to take responsibility for their own safety. When arriving at a beach, understand the meanings of different flag colors; recognize rip currents and swim parallel to the shore if caught in one; always swim with at least one other person; keep an eye on children and weak swimmers; avoid swimming near rocks and know your own limits.
When practicing any water sport, inform family, friends... of your itinerary before heading out. Don't forget to observe the weather conditions before getting into the water.
Choosing the Right Life Jacket
Basic factors to remember include choosing a life jacket with a design that keeps your head above water, children should not wear adult-sized life jackets. You should inspect life jackets, rescue buoys at least once a year, and jackets with insulation layers will help you cope with cold weather.
Drowning on Land
A person can die from drowning even after being rescued ashore, as water enters the lungs causing them to contract, stimulated to leak fluid. This condition mostly occurs in children, so parents need to monitor their children after water activities and take them to medical facilities immediately if they show any unusual symptoms. Symptoms include coughing, vomiting, fever, difficulty breathing, chest pain, dizziness, and mood swings.
Recognizing Emergency Situations
Do not underestimate signs indicating someone is drowning: They may be struggling to swim but not making progress, attempting to push themselves down to raise their head above water.
Without timely assistance, victims will soon become exhausted and suffocate, transitioning to a face-down position underwater or near the surface, becoming motionless.
Response in Emergency Situations
If someone disappears, always check underwater first. If you see someone drowning, approach them from the shore by throwing a buoy or something else to help them float. It's worth noting that the victim may panic and cling onto you, pulling you down if your situation control skills are inexperienced.
In addition to informing lifeguards, call 114 if possible for assistance. While waiting for rescue personnel to arrive, the phone operator will provide advice on how to handle the specific situation when someone is drowning.
As per Phạm Huyền/Vnexpress
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Reference: Travel Handbook Mytour
MytourMay 28, 2018
