In summer one of the things people most often do is go for a dip at the beach or in the pool. This means that, as well as prevention, it’s vitally important to know the basics of what to do in the event of someone drowning so you can provide help quickly.<\/p>\n
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Prevention<\/strong><\/p>\n If you’re on the beach, the first thing to do is to look at the colour of the flag<\/strong> indicating the state of the sea: green (suitable for bathing), yellow (caution) and red (prohibited).<\/p>\n If you can, taking a shower before bathing <\/strong>is very useful for adapting your body to the temperature of the water. This avoids a sudden drop in your body temperature when you submerge yourself in the water, which could cause a reaction in the circulatory system resulting in less blood reaching the brain. This can lead to fainting (syncope) and is known as \u201ccold shock\u201d or hydrocution.<\/strong><\/p>\n Guidelines for action<\/strong><\/p>\n If you see someone is drowning or unconscious in the water you must follow the PAA rule: Protect, Alert, Assist.<\/p>\n Steps to follow:<\/strong><\/p>\n The first thing to do is to protect yourself and ensure your own safety to prevent both of you from drowning. So, if you don’t know how to swim, don’t try to go to the rescue and tell someone else.<\/p>\n Next, pull the person out of the water and keep their airway (nose and mouth) free, whether they’re unconscious or struggling to avoid drowning.<\/p>\n Once you reach the water\u2019s edge, place the person face upwards. Check if they respond to stimuli by asking (auditory), touching (tactile) or pinching (pain).<\/p>\n If they’re responsive<\/strong>, find out how they feel and assess whether to call the emergency services on 112.<\/p>\n If they’re unresponsive<\/strong>, ask people nearby for help, call 112 and connect the loudspeaker mode on the phone so you can hear any instructions while taking action. Two things might happen:<\/p>\n\n