Aquatic Rescue Theory for Police 2.pptx

www.opcva.ca AQUATIC RESCUE THEORY FOR POLICE Prepared By: Physical Training & Wellness Education Presentation Date: January 2024 Version: © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2018 Lesson Objectives Aquatic Rescue Theory for Police 1. Understand the role of the police first responder in an aquatic e...

www.opcva.ca AQUATIC RESCUE THEORY FOR POLICE Prepared By: Physical Training & Wellness Education Presentation Date: January 2024 Version: © Queen's Printer for Ontario, 2018 Lesson Objectives Aquatic Rescue Theory for Police 1. Understand the role of the police first responder in an aquatic emergency. 2. Develop awareness of potential risks and hazards in aquatic emergencies. 3. Introduce the aquatic rescue process with emphasis on options, tactics and safety considerations for police. 4. Preview steps involved for rescue component of practical assessment. 2 Role of Police First Responder in Aquatic Emergency A Background  Comprehensive Police Service Act - officers must provide service at or near the waterways in their region.  Occupational Health & Safety Act – makes it service’s responsibility to provide training with respect to first responder aquatic safety.  First priority is always officer safety. Officers must work within personal swimming limitations when considering aquatic rescue options to maintain public safety.  Officers may be first on scene to situations such as: • Drowning victims • Medical emergencies that unfold in water • Unconscious, submerged missing persons • Mental health (ie. contemplating suicide off bridge) • Recovery of stolen property • Foot pursuits near water • Car accidents near water 3 Drowning in Canada • • • • • • • • • • 444 drownings annually in Canada Ontario has more drownings annually then any other province in Canada • Largest provincial population • Great Lakes & surrounding waterways increase risk 79% of all drowning victims were males 66% of all drownings occurred May-Sept Over 50% of water related fatalities occurred on weekend Where are people drowning? • Natural bodies of water (69%) ie. Lakes/pond/river/stream/ocean • Bathtubs (12%) • Private Pools (9%) • Lifeguard supervised pool (1%) At risk populations: 1. Seniors and children under 5 in bathtubs 2. Adults in lakes and rivers Although drowning is 2nd leading cause of preventable death in children, children 5-14 are at lowest risk across all drownings since they are usually supervised New Canadians are 4x as likely to be unable to swim than those born in Canada Many officers have received Medals of Police Bravery for rescuing drowning victims 4 Types of Victims in Aquatic Emergencies Victim Type Characteristics 1. Weak & Tired Swimmer - Body position at 45◦ angle to surface Elementary strokes ie. doggie paddle Often NOT yelling for help (may be a perfectly competent swimmer who has hit muscular failure) At risk for becoming a DNS 2. Drowning Victim or Distressed Non-Swimmer (DNS) - - Vertical position in water Head bobbing above and below surface of water Arms thrashing rapidly or climbing a ladder Stationary – little or no ability to rotate or swim a couple feet in any direction Auditory exclusion Inability to communicate Gasping for air Panicked facial expression Will instinctively latch onto anyone approaching them and push that person under in attempt to save themselves. We call this a ‘clutch’ in lifesaving. Extremely difficult to escape a clutch! A child has the ability to take down an adult in these situations – we never judge the level of threat by the size of our victim in aquatic emergencies. Note a clutch is instinctive across various species ie. dogs Once a drowning victim submerges, there is approximately a 4 min window before brain damage 3. Medical Emergencies or Injured Swimmer - Many times a medical condition will initiate a drowning situation Heart attacks, seizures, strokes, panic attacks, spinals, broken limbs, diabetic shock, asthma, etc Hypothermia: in later stages we lose gross motor skills which can lead to drowning 4. Unconscious - Floating above or below surface of water Warm water: body more likely to float; Cold water: body more likely to sink 5 The Aquatic Rescue Process RECOGNIZE person in distress KEY CONCEPTS 1) Rescuer Safety is primary and ongoing priority. 2) Prevention is key to lifesaving Goal: prevent situation from escalating to a higher risk situation (ie. preventing a victim from submerging) ASSESS ACT PLAN 3) Continuously Assess/Plan/Act - situations are dynamic and conditions/aspects can change in an instant 4) Ongoing Communication throughout any rescue: • • • • • 6 Victim Partner Bystanders Dispatch Other (Marine, Fire, Dive teams etc) The Aquatic Rescue Process 1. ASSESS Assess Considerations Yourself Own personal swimming ability Physical limitations Victim Number of victims (Don’t assume that is totality of situation – ask victim if anyone else submerged!) Type of victims (Weak & Tired, DNS, Medical/Injured, Unconscious) How far is victim from point of safety Level of consciousness Hazards Fire, wire, gas, glass, chemicals, watercrafts, slippery rocks, entrapment hazards, floating debris, contamination, surrounding topography ie. unstable shorelines due to flooding etc. Visibility Lighting conditions – day/night; glare Rain Water clarity Weather Conditions Wind conditions – changes where we direct aid in relation to victim; throw upstream into wind Snow/Ice - ↑ risk of hypothermia; affects decision to enter water Lightning Water Conditions Large waves, rapids, waterfalls, dams, current direction, depth, rapid flooding Riptide or under tows (See video) Equipment, Tools & Aids What equipment is available to conduct a rescue? Reaching assists, floatation devices, ropes, PFD, AED etc? Bystanders & Assistance How far is cruiser/backup? Dive team/fire/marine required? Are bystanders available and willing to assist? Bystander swimming ability Assign roles 7 In a real world situation, the initial scene assessment may take seconds. Aquatic Rescue Equipment in Ontario Cruisers Throw Bags Ring Buoy Rescue Cans Personal Floatation Device (PFD) Spare Tire Back Seat Floats While most cruisers carry throw bags, not all cruisers are equipped with PFD’s and rescue options will vary by service. 8 The Aquatic Rescue Process 2. PLAN: Ladder Approach Intro CARRY TOW HIGH RISK SWIM The LADDER approach, adopted from the Canadian Lifesaving Society, is a model for aquatic lifesaving that all lifeguards & marine units in Canada are trained to use to determine which rescue option makes sense based on the initial scene assessment. KEY CONCEPTS • Each rung represents plans of action that escalate in risk as we climb the ladder. As we climb up, risk level increases for both the rescuer and victim(s). • Always start at the bottom of the ladder with the TALK rescue, and only proceed up as high as necessary to get victim to a point of safety. • Communication is key throughout any rescue - therefore the TALK rescue is incorporated into every other rescue option. ROW WADE REACH THROW START TALK LOW RISK The Rescue Process 2. PLAN: Ladder Approach Summarized Carry rescue is NOT recommended unless you have achieved National Lifeguard certification. Risk of clutch is high in this situation if CARRY TOW SWIM ROW victim conscious as in this situation and in a last stich effort may be required to carry the victim back with or without a buoyant aid. VERY DANGEROUS! In this situation, victim has no kick or is fatigued or in medical distress or perhaps LOC is questionable. Swim out to victim with buoyant aid, and tow victim back to safety without making direct contact. In this situation you are unsure of victim’s ability to get back on their own with buoyant aid. Perhaps they have a weak kick, are hypothermic and losing fine motor skills or maybe their LOC is questionable. To prevent situation from escalating, provide them with buoyant aid and swim back alongside them without making direct contact. That way if situation escalates you are there to prevent submersion and quickly tow or carry victim to safety. Watercraft required to get person to safety. Examples include officers getting victim onto marine boat, lifeguards recusing someone from riptides with motorized dingy/paddleboard etc. WADE Now entering the water only as deep as necessary and within personal swimming limitations, extend aid and pull victim to safety. REACH A reach rescue is considered a higher risk rescue because we are now getting closer to the threat. A reaching assist does not have to be buoyant and does not have to float. Examples include, stick, branch, jacket, baton, pool noodle, etc. It is used to maintain distance and pull a victim to safety from a dry safe position. Ensure to lower center of gravity when towing in to minimize chances of getting pulled in the water. THROW TALK From dry & safe position, if buoyant aid is on a rope, throw past & beside victim. This reduces chance of having to waste time and pull in/rethrow. If buoyant aid is not on a rope – aim to land throw within 180◦ arc in front of victim. Lower center of gravity to tow in. In heavy current aim upstream. Throw slightly into wind if needbe. Never tie a rope around waist for risk of being lodged under rocks if pulled in. From shore, talk victim to safety. Get loud, get low and use hand gestures. Rationale: Create a scene so you have assistance. Victim may have auditory exclusion. Sound travels better near surface of water. Hand gestures improve communication for hearing impaired/language barriers or if waterfront is busy/crowded, it helps people locate rescuer. 10 The Aquatic Rescue Process 3. ACT: Steps for TOW Rescue of Conscious Victim with Buoyant Aid (Level 2) 1. Talk To victim, assign bystanders roles. RADIO DISPATCH - Location/aquatic emergency/entering water/EMS onsite/backup & special units if necessary 2. Kit Down Remove vest/belt/boots. Secure belt. Leave with partner/lock in cruiser or throw in water if necessary. 3. Buoyant Aid Never enter water without buoyant aid. Also your lifeline! 4. Slip In Entry Keep aid with you on entry. Head above water to maintain visual and reduce risk of cold shock. 5. Head Up Approach Level 1’s will do a modified version of this, taking it to a WADE rescue instead. Rather than swimming to victim they will walk out in waist deep water and rescue a victim. Almost all steps are the same as Level 2’s. More details to follow in class. Encourage victim, reassure them and introduce self. Keep head above water entire time to maintain visual. Ie. Head up front crawl 6. Reverse & Ready Whenever within 6 ft radius of victim assume R & R position. This allows us to maintain distance and defend if they become a threat. Ask victim if anyone else submerged! 7. Tow Maintain visual on victim during tow. Legs only kick on way back to kick under victim and get power from hip and kick under victim. E.g. inverted scissor, whip kick or eggbeater. 8. Removal & Follow Up Care11 Remove from water. Treat other medical conditions. Perform secondary survey. If okay, put in recovery position and treat for shock. Monitor vitals and take medical history. Warn of secondary drowning! Supplementary Learning Aids VIDEOS: Tow Rescue of A Conscious Victim using a Buoyant Aid How to Escape a Riptide https://can01.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fyoutu.be%2FM9OMIKsTuqY%3Ffeature%3Dshared&data=05%7C01%7Cmaigan.cowen%40ontario.c a%7C4ed462fb03314d1a9a5f08dbc3721b07%7Ccddc1229ac2a4b97b78a0e5cacb5865c%7C0%7C0%7C638318667064194839%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIj oiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Wd5D2hIDUHTvfJja2D4IzbQKddAG4I8gvQ0xW05DQds%3D&re served=0 12 References Legislation: Comprehensive Police Services Act Occupational Health & Safety Act Alert! Lifeguarding in Action Manual. Lifesaving Society, 2016. CPKN Water Rescue for First Responders Award Guide. Canadian Lifesaving Society https://www.lifesavingsociety.com/ (Certifications, Recertifications, Rescue protocol resources) Policing Standards Manual LE-035 – Waterways Policing Ontario Police Health & Safety Committee: Guidance Note #11: Water Safety 2019 Canadian Drowning Report: https://www.lifesavingsociety.com/media/314749/cdndrowningreport2019.pdf 2023 Ontario Drowning Report: ON 2023_EN copy (lifesavingsociety.com) World Health Organization Global Report on Drowning: Global report on drowning: preventing a leading killer (who.int) 13 Quiz questions 1. 2. 3. The primary goal of an officer in an aquatic emergency is: a) To get victim to closest point of safety b) To maintain public safety c) Officer safety d) To radio dispatch The order of the rescue process is: a) communication, assess, plan, act b) recognize, assess, plan, act c) assess, plan, act, follow up care d) prevention, assess, plan, act Ontario has more drownings annually than any other province a) True b) False 4. Children 0-5 have the highest chance of drowning a) True b) False 5. Things you should asses prior to planning out a rescue: a) Surrounding topography b) Entrapment hazards c) Water contamination d) Current resulting from floods or riptides e) All of the above 7. Before entering the water to perform an aquatic rescue an officer should: a) Radio Dispatch b) Kit Down c) Talk to victim and assign roles to bystanders d) Secure Duty Belt e) All of the above 8. Characteristics of a Distressed Non-Swimmer may include: a) Auditory exclusion b) Vertical Position c) Bobbing d) Instinctively ‘clutch’ onto nearby swimmers e) All of above 9. The purpose of the Reverse and Ready position is to: a) Maintain distance b) Be in a position to defend self c) Quickly change direction d) Guide buoyant aid to victim keeping head away from threat e) All of above 10. After any water-related rescue an officer should: a) Post a video and brag on social media b) Warn victim of secondary drowning c) Nominate themselves for an Ontario Police Medal of Bravery d) Take a selfie with victim 6. The LADDER APPROACH plans of action from bottom rung to top rung are: f) Talk, reach, throw, wade, row, swim, tow, carry g) Talk, throw reach, wade, row, swim, tow, carry h) Talk, throw, reach, row, wade, swim, tow, carry 14