LIFESAVING 1,2,3 THEORY

Lifesaving in the broadest context implies the saving of life through:

- P​revention​ of accidents
- Personal S​urvival
- R​escue​ of others

Safety and Hygiene

- Safety in and around w​ater​ b​odies

1) Awareness of D​angers​ in still water, inland water and open water
2) Minimising risks (e.g ​learn to swim, never swim alone, swim in patrolled waters​)
3) Knowing what to do in an emergency
- Use of P​ersonal​ P​rotection​ E​quipment​ to prevent communicable diseases such as C​olds​ ,
Hepatitis A&B, AIDS , some S​kin​ infections from being transferred from/to casualties (gloves,
resuscitation pocket mask)
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and water after contact with casualty.
- Personal h​ygiene​ when using the pool (e.g shower before entering, do not eat/drink, footwear)

Dangers
-Still water (swimming pool)
Tiles (slippery, chipped), swimming beyond own ability, unattended children, rough play,
unattended loose lying objects, bad weather, no lifeguard.

-Open water (rivers,sea,beach)

Aquatic animals (stonefish,jellyfish,stingray), sharp corals, rocks (sharp,slippery), murky water
(unknown bottom, depth), strong currents , steep cliffs , debris (glass, metal cans,fishing line),
unattended children , swimming beyond own ability , bad weather. Rip currents,
Watercraft(boats,waterskis)

Seeking help
-call 995
-location
-number of casualties
-condition of casualties
-give them a telephone number to call back
-hang up after the operator hangs up
Rescue Principles

-A​lert​ to R​ecognise​ an emergency

- Being able to recognise potential emergencies and preventing them

-A​cceptance of responsibility
- Effect of the crowd
- Awareness of personal Capabilities (K​nowledge​,S​kill​,J​udgement​,F​itness​)
- Level of responsibility/duty

-A​ssessment
- Type of victim
- Environment (water condition,hazards,currents,people)
- A​ids​ ( object, human, landmarks)

-A​ction plan
- Type of rescue (Talk , Reach , Throw , Wade , Row , Swim , Tow)
- Order of rescue ( ​Non , Weak , Injured , Unconscious​ )
- Backup plan (flexible)

-A​ction
- Speed
- Flexibility
- When performing a rescue, ensure S​afety​ for yourself, bystanders and the victim

-A​ftercare
-R​eassurance​ (done for any rescue)
-Bleeding
-Shock
-Cramp
-EAR
Types of casualties
NON SWIMMER WEAK INJURED UNCONSCIOUS
SWIMMER SWIMMER PERSON

Position ( body -Vertical position -At an 45 degree -Awkward -Limp in the water
position, facing, -May not face angle position -Either face up or down
Arms & Legs shoreline -Facing safety. -grasping injured -May not be on the
movement) -Main concern is -Using arms and area. surface
air(Trying to legs for support
climb up using in an attempt to
arms and legs) swim towards
safety.

Attempts to Seldom/Dont Waves and calls Depends on None

attract attention wave or call for for help injury, may
help shout due to
pain.

Facial Panic -Anxiety Pain Eyes Closed

expression -Able to expel
water in mouth

Cooperativeness Poor Good Poor none

cooperation cooperation cooperation due
when when support is to injury.
unsupported offered.
and not calmed. Able to float on
Likely to grasp the back and
rescuer propel forward

Bleeding
-Definition : ​Loss of Blood​ (Internal & External)
-Signs and Symptoms:
- B​lood
- If excessive bleeding may lead to s​hock​ (~20% of total - ​1000​ml) and ultimately death (~40%
of total - ​2000​ml)

-Causes
- ​Puncture,Cut,Abrasion ​by a sharp object

-Treatment
- R​est​ & R​eassure
- I​mmobilise​ and apply I​ce
- C​ompression​ (Direct/Indirect)
- E​levation​ ( Above ​Heart​ level)
Shock
-Definition : A state of collapse of the b​lood​ c​irculation​, resulting in an inadequate supply of
o​xygen​ to the vital o​rgans​ (B​rain​, Heart, Lungs)

-Signs and Symptoms

- W​eak​ and R​apid​ pulse
- C​old​ and C​lammy​ skin
- R​apid​ and S​hallow​ breathing
- Weakness and G​iddiness
- U​nresponsive
- ​Low​ blood pressure
- Delayed c​apillary​ refill
.
-Causes ​(1,2,3 MUST KNOW!! Memorise layman explanation,cheem name dont need.)
1) Hypovolemic shock - extreme loss of b​lood​ or b​ody​ f​luids​ through sweating, widespread
burns, v​omiting​ and diarrhoea.
2) Respiratory shock - Lack of oxygen due failure of respiratory process due to illness or
obstruction(e.g in lifesaving context - D​rowning​ , Choking).
3) Cardiogenic shock - Heart unable to pump enough blood due to h​eart​ a​ttack.
4) Anaphylactic shock - severe a​llergic​ reaction (food, medication, venom stings) causing
a​sthma​, rash, swelling and in some cases c​ardiac​ arrest.
5) Septic shock - Bacterial i​nfection​ affecting organ function leading to r​espiratory​ or h​eart
failure.
6) Neurogenic shock - D​amage​ to the central nervous system (s​pinal​ c​ord​ and brain) causing
r​espiratory​ arrest , low blood pressure, *slowed* heart rate and blood pooling in the arms and
legs (*warm*, dry arms and feet *only unique to neurogenic shock*)
7) Metabolic shock - Excessive buildup of a​cid​ in the body and kidneys fail to remove enough
acid from the body ( kidney disease) leading to organ failure.

-Treatment
- R​eassure​ casualty
- Treat the cause ( if possible - e.g bleeding )
- Lie casualty down and raise l​egs​ (conscious)
- Put to r​ecovery​ p​osition​ (unconscious but breathing)
- L​oosen​ any tight clothing
- Keep casualty W​arm
- Dab water on lips (Dont let him drink)
- Call for medical help if situation does not improve
Cramp
-Definition : Painful, Sudden i​nvoluntary​ c​ontraction​ of a muscle or a group of muscles

-Signs and Symptoms

- Hard and T​ight​ muscle
- P​ainful​ expression / May shout in pain

-Causes
- Body’s inability to adapt to sudden drop in t​emperature
- Sudden e​xcessive​ or unusual exercise
- Blow or i​njury​ to a muscle
- Excessive loss of s​alt​ due severe sweating

-Treatment
- R​eassure​ the casualty
- S​tretch​ the affected area
- M​assage​ the affected area
- Apply h​eat​ pack to area (if available)
- Hydrate.

Recovery Position
-Used when casualty is u​nconscious​ and b​reathing​ to allow ease of breathing while waiting for
help to arrive.
-Airway is opened and torso is off the ground to encourage breathing
-Face facing the ground to allow for v​omiting
-Monitor breathing and continue r​esuscitation​ if breathing stops

D​efensive​ / Standoff / ready position

-To allow the lifesaver to make a final assessment from a s​afe​ position

Expired Air Resuscitation

-Also known as ​rescue breathing​, EAR is used to restore breathing for casualties suffering from
respiratory arrest​.
Why does it work?
-Exhaled air contains about ​17​% oxygen.
-​12​ rescue breaths per minute is used to supply oxygen to the casualty.
-The average volume of air inhaled for an adult at rest is ​400-600​ml, while the vital capacity of a
child is much larger, hence a child will be able to perform EAR on an adult.
When do you perform EAR?
- ​Casualty is not breathing (respiratory arrest) or gasping (agonal respiration).
- Environment is unsuitable for C​ardiopulmonary​ R​esuscitation​ - untrained rescuer, victim
is still in the water.
- Help is still on the way.

EAR for children

-Infants: ​Puffs​ of air given for infants. ​3​ sec per EAR cycle.
Steps to perform EAR
-Check for ​Danger (yourself,bystanders,victim)
-Check for ​Response​ ( ​Movement​, ​Sound​, ​Touch​, ​Pain​)
-Shout​ for help,
-Open ​Airway​, (Head-tilt chin lift, Jaw thrust)
-Check for ​Breathing​, (​10​ seconds, ​Look​ , ​Listen​, ​Feel​)
-Commence EAR.(Mouth to mouth / Mouth to nose / Mouth to mouth and nose - infants / Mouth
to mask)
-Every 12 cycles check for breathing.

Airway obstruction
-Remove any ​foreign objects​ if possible (tongue-jaw lift)
-Redo ​Head-tilt Chin-lift​ and ensure a tight seal between casualty’s mouth and your mouth.

Abdominal distension (Air in the stomach)

- Caused by overinflation, too forceful inflation, partially blocked airway.
- May lead to regurgitation (vomiting).
- Redo head tilt chin lift and reduce pressure and volume used to blow.
 Practical Test Syllabus

REACH THROW WADE SWIM TOW

Distance 1-2m 5m ​- board 10-12m 25m 20-25m​ - tow with aid

8m​ - rope
10-15m​ - Shallow water EAR

15-20m​ - Deep water EAR

Type of Non swimmer Weak Non swimmer Weak swimmer Non swimmer/ Unconscious
victim swimmer

Entry - - Slide in Straddle jump Tow with aid - ​Straddle Jump

EAR - ​Plunge

Remarks -Wading with -Tow with aid with defensive

buoyant aid techniques(block with aid)
(board)
-Resuscitation Rescue to support
(deep water EAR) with surface
dive