Something to think about…

We all hope that we will never have to face a drowning or near drowning incident at our swim club. However, the facts suggest that such accidents are quite common. Here are just a few sobering facts about drowning accidents in the United States.

Drowning Facts

•  In 2004, there were 3,308 unintentional drownings in the United States, an average of nine people per day. (CDC 2006) U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• It is estimated that for each drowning death, there are 1 to 4 nonfatal submersions serious enough to result in hospitalization. Children who still require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) at the time they arrive at the emergency department have a poor prognosis, with at least half of survivors suffering significant neurologic impairment. American Academy of Pediatrics

• 19% of drowning deaths involving children occur in public pools with certified lifeguards present. Drowning Prevention Foundation

• Children under five and adolescents between the ages of 15-24 have the highest drowning rates. U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

• Of all preschoolers who drown, 70% are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75% are missing from sight for five minutes or less. Orange County California Fire Authority

• The majority of children who survive a drowning incident are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all who require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury.National Safe Kids Campaign

So, as you prepare for the 2010 swim season, what can your club do differently or better this year to avert such a tragedy? One strategy could be a new or renewed focus on lifeguard vigilance.

It is very clear that every second counts in a drowning incident. The longer a victim is submerged, the greater the chance of permanent brain damage or death. If a lifeguard can spot a swimmer in distress within the first ten seconds of a drowning incident, and reach the victim to initiate aid within an additional twenty seconds, it is unlikely a drowning accident will occur.

A study, conducted in 2001, calculated how quickly lifeguards could spot a swimmer in trouble underwater. The study showed that on average, it took one minute and 14 seconds for lifeguards to spot a manikin that had been placed in the pool fully submerged. Lifeguards noted the presence of the manikin within 10 seconds in only 9% of the tests and in 30 seconds or less in 43% of the tests. In 41% of the tests it took over one minute and it took more than three minutes in 14% of the tests!

Another study, published in September 2001 by vigilance experts at the Applied Anthropology Institute in Paris, France showed the following regarding lifeguard vigilance:

• Vigilance capacity cannot be maintained at an optimum level for more that 30 minutes. The detection of critical signals (signs of a swimmer in trouble) in this type of task is never 100%.

•  Noise, one of the major environmental factors at a pool, generally has an unfavorable effect on lifeguard vigilance. Moreover, noise hinders the ability to share one’s attention and tends to focus one’s attention on the signals present in the central vision, to the detriment of those signals present in the peripheral vision.

•  The performance of lifeguards can be affected by monotony, stress and fatigue. The particular environment in which the job is performed heightens the fragile nature of the performance.

•  Heat is one of the factors that has a major effect on vigilance. Given the seasonal aspect of lifeguarding actives, lifeguards are often exposed to heat and to conditions that are not conducive to their performance. When the temperature is over 30°C/86°F, vigilance is significantly reduced – by 45%.

It goes without saying that having properly trained and certified lifeguards posted at the poolside at all times is a must. The question is, are your club’s lifeguarding practices and procedures (or those of your pool management company) promoting or hindering lifeguard vigilance and their ability to spot a swimmer in distress in those first few critical seconds of a drowning incident?