Chapter #2 (Personal Safety)
Too much of a good thing

When should you avoid exposure to the sun?
· 10am - 2pm Angle of the sun
· Wear proper clothing:
· PE teachers, caps hats, lifeguards
· Sun Protection Factor:
· SPF 15 and above How often 60-90 minutes, Waterproof 40 minutes.
Read Basic Safety Guidelines:
· Never swim alone
· Swim only in supervised areas
· Never drink alcohol or use drugs when swimming
· Check depth of water before entering
· Enter water feetfirst
· Don't swim in pool if you can't see the bottom
· Know your swimming limits (Greece)
· Watch out for "dangerous too's" cold, tired, too far from safety, sun, hard playing
· Stay out of water when overheated or overtired
· Do not chew gum while swimming
· Learn to dive the safe and proper way
· Eating and swimming Use common sense

Emergency Action Plan:
· Long Beach has Good Lifeguards swim near them.
· Whistle Blows:
· whistles Outward Bound emergency
Safety equipment:
· Ring buoy even for private homes &
· Crook, or Rescue Tube

Life Jackets:
· Note different types read page 29
· Life Jacket/Vs Personal Floatation Device

Swimmer's ear: What is it?
· Chronic irritation of the outer ear caused by too much moisture.
· Tips to prevent swimmer's ear
· Tilt your head and jump energetically
· Use a hair dryer on a low setting
· Over the counter ear drops
· Wearing a swimcap
· Avoid Wax earplugs
· Flushing with warm water, see doctor

Swimming with your Clothes on
· Some clothes help you float and some keep you warm
· Swim with a stroke that keeps your arms in the water (why?? ) evaporation cooling effect

Safety and Residential Pools
· Most swimming deaths occur in home pools.
· More pools more kids that drown.
· In most drownings, the child was left alone for a moment or was thought to be in a safe area.

Note the tips on how to make your pool safer p.33

Home Pool Safety:
· In Only Takes a Minute and Water, The Deceptive Power. (Ordered)

Waves:
· Refer to figure 2-6 on page 34
· Drift Currents: 2-7 A Seal Beach with summer camp
· Undertows 2-7B All beaches have these currents
· Rip Currents: 2-8 Watch out for choppy turbulent water. Murky water
· How do you react to a rip current: Swim parallel to shore

River Currents:
· How should you position yourself if you fall in a river that has a strong current?
· Roll over onto your back and go downstream feetfirst. Why your feet get hit by rocks not your head. Swim at an angle to the shore. (Backwash)

Hydraulics:
· What are they?
· Whirlpools caused by strong downward force that can trap a swimmer.
· How do you get out? Swim down to the bottom and swim out from there.


Underwater Obstacles
· Always enter open water slowly, carefully, and feetfirst
· Don't swim or boat by a Damn

Aquatic Life
· Seaweed etc. Avoid getting frantic.
· Swim slowly and gently out of the plants
· Portuguese man of war Jelly fish. Even dead they're dangerous.
· Story Seal Beach swim.

Treatment for a sting in water.
· Rinse skin with seawater
· Do not use ice and do not rub the skin
· Soothe skin with vinegar or isopropyl alcohol (use baking soda if these not available)

Other dangers:
· Sea urchins, Stingrays. Snakes:
· What should you do.
· Don't bother them.

Leeches:
· The largest leech farm in the world is in Hendy,Wales.

Storms
· Don't swim in storms, fog or high winds:
· Ohio and Pools. Don't play golf in thunder.

Water Emergencies
· Panic is a sudden and overwhelming terror
· Plan (what are you going to do)
· If you see someone struggling in the water what do you do?
· Montreux Switzerland: First summer job after college

Cramping UP
· Cramp in your foot:
· Elevate and massage (not on) see diagram on page 37.

Exhaustion caused by
· Reaction to cold water
· From lying in the sun too long
· From swimming when you're very tired
· From swimming too long and too hard.
· Note reference to younger kids that get too cold.

Hyperventilation: (Staying under water too long)
· By taking a series of deep breaths and forcefully exhaling, you reduce the carbon dioxide in the blood.
· CO2 in your blood is what triggers the desire to breath. Passing out before next breath.
Submerged Vehicle
· A car will float for 45 seconds, during which time you should open the nearest window and leave.
· If car is sinking move to higher end where there is air
· Use one of three routes to escape:

If you see a vehicle plunging into the water get professional help. CALL EMS

Hypothermia
· - is a life threatening condition in which the body's warming mechanisms cannot maintain normal body temperature and the body cools.
· Body's losing heat faster than it can produce it.
· If the water feels cold, it is cold. (Llangrannog - Summer camp)

What happens when you fall into cold water
· temperature of your skin, and of the blood in the extremities (arms and legs) drop quickly
· trouble breathing and difficulty using hands
· Temp of heart, brain, and other vital organs gradually drop
· Start uncontrollable shivering
· Become unconscious.

For your own information read Preventing Hypothermia

Benefits of Wearing Winter Clothes:
· North Sea Oil Workers.

Why would you only use underwater strokes in cold water:
· Evaporation heat loss.

HELP
· Heat
· Escape
· Lessening
· Position

Huddle: Help keep each other warm

After you get out of cold water
· Change into dry clothes, or wring out wet clothes, and put them back on.. Damp clothes will keep you warm.
· Get inside a building
· Get into a warm room, take a warm shower or bath, start a fire to get warm.
· Drink warm fluids such as broth and soup. Avoid alcohol & caffeine products.

ICE SAFETY:
· inch thick ice for safety

If you fall into ice what do you do
· Reach onto ice but do not push down. Use breaststroke kick or other kick to push you further onto ice.
· Crawl on the ice, or roll on ice away from the breaking point. Spread your weight out.
· Have a friend throw you something (preferably not an ice cube ;-) )

Drinking and Boating don't mix don't do it.
· What do you see most people do on boats?
· Drink themselves silly.
· There's a double standard here.

If you buy a boat note what type of equipment you should have on page 43

Navigation rules:
· Go to right
· diagram on powerpoint

Right of Way
· Boats with motors give way to sail boats except when sailboats overtake motor boats.
· Meeting: Go right
· Crossing: Give way to right
· Overtaking: Give way to boat being overtaken.

Getting into a canoe etc.,
· later on in the semester time permitting

· Other recreational activities are listed if you do any of them read the safety suggestions.

Spas and hot tubs in the home or at a facility are often not guarded.
· You don't need a pool to drown in.
· Spa shouldn't go above 104
· It is not recommended that you use a Spa while drinking alcohol or taking medication or other drugs.


Water, you have to respect it.

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Last updated: 10/22/97