Water Rescue: Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway

• Guidelines established for entry and rescue in the Atlantic Ocean, Intracoastal Waterway, lakes, canals, and other open bodies of water.
• Standard operating guidelines apply to all Palm Beach County Fire Rescue Emergency Operations personnel.
• Attachment A details Swim Hand Signals

Operational Classifications:

• Non-Swimmer: Fire Rescue personnel who do not swim and shall not enter the water.
• Level I Basic Swimmer: Fire Rescue personnel possessing basic swimming abilities.
• Level I Rescue Swimmer: Fire Rescue personnel possessing superior swimming abilities and experience in ocean water.
• "Swimmer" refers to Fire Rescue personnel classified as either a Level I Basic Swimmer or Level I Rescue Swimmer, unless otherwise specifically noted.
• Refer to SOG 330-03 Dive Rescue for Dive Teams and additional information.

Assignments:

• Primary Swimmer: A swimmer who is deployed in the water
• Back-up Swimmer: A swimmer who is on stand-by to be deployed
• Spotter: Fire Rescue personnel assigned to be accountable for a specific deployed swimmer.
• Shore Support personnel: Fire Rescue personnel assigned to non-water activities (i.e., Medical, Transport, Decon., etc...).
• Victim: An individual who requires rescue.
• Refer to SOG 100-02 Daily Assignments for Daily Shift Preparations

Equipment:

• Shore Support personnel must wear a Fire Rescue issued Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or buoyancy compensator with emergency inflation device.
• Spotters need to be in an elevated spot with a reflective vest and accessible binoculars
• Level I Basic Swimmers need swim attire (not long pants), a rescue buoy (Red Flotation Device), and long blade fins.
• Level I Rescue Swimmers need what level 1 swimmers have plus water rescue rope, water rescue paddle board, and short fins

General:

• Incident Management System, Communication and Accountability refer to the 200 series SOGs.
• If two or more swimmers are involved, an Accountability Officer is required.
• There should be a one (1) to one (1) ratio of Spotter to swimmer.
• Assess the scene and identify hazards (weather, surf conditions, currents, ingress, egress, swimmer abilities, traffic, leaking vehicle fluids, and submerged objects).

Mode of Operation:

• The Incident Commander or first in unit will determines if the emergency is in a Rescue or Recovery Mode.
• As a general rule, Rescue Mode applies if under an hour has passed from submersion.
• Rescue mode indicates there is a chance to save a life.
• Recovery Mode is generally turned over to Law Enforcement as there is no chance to save a life.

Consider the following when determining to operate in Rescue Mode:

• If the victim is above or below the surface.
• The time since the victim was last seen.
• The swimming abilities of Fire Rescue personnel on the scene.
• The sufficiency and credibility of bystander information.
• The water conditions (weather, surf, and current).
• Other incident hazards and factors.
• Rescue Mode is intended for surface water victims but may be applied to underwater victims in calm, shallow waters.
• When conducting a rescue operation, there should be a minimum of an Incident Commander and three other Fire Rescue personnel with the level of operational capability to extract the victim.
• With the imminent loss of life, a swimmer may be deployed so long as a minimum of three Fire Rescue personnel are on-scene.

Scene Size-Up:

• First arriving units shall gather all pertinent information from bystanders and witnesses.
• Victims ABOVE the Water: Obtain sufficient information on the number of victims and consider requesting additional resources.
• Victims BELOW the Water: Establish a “Last-Seen-Point” to prioritize rescue efforts and better narrow the search area probability Interview witness(es) to identify perceived location where the victim went under water

Consider the following during Scene Size-up:

• Whenever possible, interview witnesses separately to avoid influence.
• Take witness(es) to the place they think they were located when they witnessed the incident and mark that location.
• Identify landmarks on the opposite side of the water (if possible) to aide in identifying a Last-Seen-Point.
• If possible, direct a swimmer out to Last-Seen-Point and mark the location with a pelican float.
• Obtain the following victim information: Number of victims, clothing colors, age, swimming abilities, time the victim was last seen.
• Ensure a dive flag is deployed to warn vessels away from the operations area in navigable waterways.
• Ensure sufficient lighting is present on the shore and diver to warn vessels operating at night.
• Establish a work area limited to water rescue operation involved personnel secured with Fire Rescue personnel, Law Enforcement, or highly visible tape.
• Consider all personnel on scene who enter the work area Shore Support personnel.
• Make an entry and exit point for swimmers to safely enter and exit the water using ladders or ropes for assistance.
• Review hand signals before a swimmers deployment if possible.

Resources:

• Deploy a minimum of: One Primary Swimmer per victim (consider additional), One Back-up Swimmer per Primary Swimmer, One Spotter per Primary Swimmer, Medical, Incident Safety Officer and Transport unit(s).

Open Water Rescue:

• Swimmers should not dive below the surface to find someone unless they directly witnessed the submersion; otherwise, it is considered a dive operation.
• Initiating a rescue requires a Primary and Back-up swimmer with the same open water swimming capabilities out fitted with the right equipment.

Action Plan:

• Assist the victim with self-rescue if the water is calm enough and verbal communication is possible.
• REACH - use a rescue buoy, pike pole, or other object to pull the victim from the water.
• THROW - attempt to throw a rope, rescue buoy or PFD.
• ROW - determine early if a boat based operation is required and request boat through the Communication Center.
• GO - deploy swimmer in water and use water rescue paddle board to surface rescue victim(s).

Phases of Victim Extraction:

• Phase one is stabilizing the victim(s) in the water by providing buoyancy with the water rescue paddle board, rescue buoy, or a PFD.
• Phase two is extraction to safety (i.e., boat, jet ski, shore) requiring one swimmer per victim minimum.
• Request Communication Center to contact Law Enforcement or the Coast Guard for their assessment and execution of helicopter operations.
• Use a rescue buoy for Spotter to make the swimmer more visible.

A Spotter is assigned when swimmers are in the water and is responsible for:

• Maintaining visual sight of the victims and swimmers
• Confirming the area of probability with the swimmer
• Confirming hand signals

Hand Signals:

• Swimmer to Shore: One arm bent with hand on head means I'm Okay, One arm straight overhead means Assistance Needed, One arm waving overhead means HELP, DEPLOY BACK-UP SWIMMER!, Two arms crossed overhead means Victim Submerged

• Shore to Swimmer: One arm (left or right) extended means move to that direction, Both arms extended out to sides means Remain Stationary, One arm straight overhead means Come Towards Shore, Both arms overhead vertically means Go Away from Shore

• Approaching a submerged vehicle or vessel in a moving body of water is not advised, requesting a Dive Team is; Searching a vehicle or vessel in still water requires not making full-body entry to conduct the search.

Boat Operations:

• When a boat is used, a person with a radio must be assigned to the boat for communicating with the shore operation.
• If available, use a GPS device to establish a fixed geographical point.

Post Incident:

• Decontamination and contaminant reduction should be established in accordance with Fire Rescue SOGs.
• An After Action Review should take place.