By Robert Owens, Fire Engineering EMS

It is a warm summer day; outdoor activities for the citizens of your fire district are in full swing. You’re just finishing some apparatus cleaning when the radio opens….Engine 1, Medic 1 respond to a reported drowning 123 Main St. at Main St. Apartments. You are familiar with this apartment complex, as you have been there many times. As you make the block, you see people jumping and waving. You park the rig; as you approach the scene, you see no lifeguard on duty, and a body facedown in the pool.

In communities all across America, the above scenario plays out quite often. While not commonly thought of as a major problem, drowning accounts for approximately 4,000 infant and pediatric deaths annually, leaving an estimated 12,000 with varying degrees of brain injury. When adults are included in these statistics, the numbers increase to 7,000 drowning deaths each year. Despite these numbers, more than half of all parents and guardians feel that drowning is not a threat to their child.

A quick ride around your response district will show the huge potential for drowning and pool-related injuries, not to mention other static and dynamic water sources such as rivers, lakes, and ponds. When responding to water emergencies, you begin the process just as at any emergency scene: perform a size-up, determine resources needed, and develop an action plan from the information gathered.

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