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CHAPTER 6 WATER SAFETY
Inland Water Safety
If you attempt to swim in or skate on inland
waterways (canals, gravel pits, lakes/lochs, Study the diagrams and answer the following questions:
streams, reservoirs or rivers) you put your 1. How are the sides of a reservoir different from the sides of a swimming pool?
own life and the lives of others at risk. Even 2. Why does the base of a swimming pool slope?
very strong swimmers could encounter difficulties 3. Why does the base of a reservoir not slope?
in reservoirs, ponds and lakes because there are
hidden and unexpected dangers - look out for 4. What obstacles could be found in a reservoir which would never be allowed into a
swimming pool?
signs which warn you of these dangers.
5. How could these obstacles cause problems for a swimmer?
6. What safety measures are there in swimming pools to prevent accidents from happening?
7. If you were foolish enough to ignore the warning notices and fell into a reservoir, pond
or river how would you escape from the water?
8. If someone tried to help you, how could their life also be at risk?
DIAGRAM A
RESCUE GUIDELINES
Diagram A shows a sketch of a
typical reservoir. Attempting to rescue someone who is struggling in water is a LAST RESORT and you should
ALWAYS do everything possible to avoid getting into dangerous situations in the first place. If there
is no choice think of your own SAFETY FIRST and DO NOT PUT YOURSELF IN DANGER. If the
rescue is dangerous wait until the emergency services arrive.
1. REACH – with something long like a stick, rope or anything else that is handy. Lie down and keep
low to avoid being dragged into the water.
2. WADE – only if there is something like a stick to test the depth with before wading in carefully.
Ensure you can hold onto something like the bank or another person before using the stick to
reach out.
DIAGRAM B 3. THROW – If you cannot reach far enough, throw things that will float for the person to grab like
a lifebelt or a sealed empty pop bottle.
Diagram B illustrates a typical (NOTE: The bottle will be easier to throw if it has a small amount of liquid in it.)
swimming pool.
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