Two children almost drowned in Berdyansk: safety rules on the water

The beach season in Ukraine has not yet begun, and the sea is already ready to collect its terrible "harvest" from inattentive victims. Last week, an incident thundered all over the country, which almost became a tragedy: in Berdyansk, on the Srednyaya Spit, two small children almost drowned. The guys who went for a swim without parental supervision were instantly sucked into the depths by storm waves. Vacationers saved the children, they also provided first aid before the arrival of the doctors. One of the children was simply miraculously taken out of a state of clinical death. To prevent such situations from repeating, remember the main thing: under no circumstances do not let the children go into the pond themselves. The child drowns quickly and quietly. And most often this happens due to the negligence and carelessness of adults.

Rest can end in tragedy

Children of all ages should swim with an adult / istockphoto.com

The situation on the Sea of ​​Azov is a classic picture, when parents, through their own oversight, almost lost their children. Nothing boded trouble: two children 7 and 9 years old arrived in Berdyansk from Mariupol as part of a creative ensemble for a folklore festival. After participating in the festival and before leaving home, the parents decided to go to the sea. The family stopped at the Srednaya Spit, where the sea (unlike the city coast) is already quite deep. While the adults were relaxing in one of the coastal pavilions, the children decided to take a dip. On that day, the sea was very stormy, in addition to everything, the wind was blowing from the coast, so the kids were literally pulled into the depths. Parents rushed to the rescue, but the children were rescued by vacationers.

Several men heard cries for help and rushed to the water. The seven-year-old boy was saved immediately, he was not badly hurt and got off more with fright. But the older girl was pulled out of the water unconscious. Vacationers pumped water out of their lungs, and began to give the girl artificial respiration and heart massage. After 15 minutes, an ambulance arrived and continued resuscitation with a defibrillator. The child was miraculously taken out of the state of clinical death. According to the latest data, the girl's condition is stable and serious, but doctors say that she will live.

Safety rules for children on the water

To choke, the baby needs a depth of 6-8 cm / istockphoto.com

When traveling with children to any body of water, be it the sea, lake, river or small rates within the city, always remember that water is a very insidious element. She attracts and attracts absolutely all children, without exception, and at the same time creates a feeling of deceptive security in shallow water. However, it has been proven that babies can easily drown at a depth of only 6-8 cm. Therefore, they cannot be left unattended, even in inflatable mini pool. For older children, any (!) Open water body is dangerous, no matter how shallow, gentle and long entry into the water there.

If you are relaxing with children by the water, remember:

• Never let a child out of sight and do not let one go to the water; even if the baby is just swarming in the sand near the water, he should always be in front of your eyes and at the distance of one jump
• While swimming, make sure that the child does not swim further away from you than at the distance of your outstretched arm; it is important that you can pick up the child at any time and pull him out of the water
• When playing on the shore, avoid activities near the water so that the child does not fall there; this is especially true in those areas where the depth is above the knee - from surprise, a child may plunge into the water during a fall and, at best, sip on liquid from a dirty reservoir
• Don't let your child swim in an unknown place; an adult always enters the water first: he checks the condition of the bottom, the depth and strength of the current, and only after that gives the child permission to plunge
• Do not let your child dive in shallow places (especially upside down), close to the shore and where there are many other swimmers; there is a very high risk of hitting your head and losing orientation or consciousness under water.
• When using inflatable swimming devices, give preference to vests; if a child loves to swim in a circle more, watch him closely on the water - there are often cases when children (especially babies) simply slip out of the inflatable rings and go under the water
• While sailing on any watercraft (boat, catamaran, inflatable mattress), the child must have a life jacket or a swimming vest; do not let your child swim in the boat or on the mattress without the presence of adults in the water.
• Even if your child is a great swimmer and has long been without a vest and oversleeves, while swimming, keep an eye on him all the time and do not be distracted by conversations, a book or a mobile phone.
• When resting on the water with children, try not to drink alcohol: it dulls attentiveness and reaction speed, which is often necessary in critical situations; at least one of the adults in the company must be sober - he takes responsibility and constant control over the children

How do you know if a person is drowning?

Drowning from the side can look quite calm / istockphoto.com

Despite the seeming absurdity of the question, it is not so easy to distinguish a person drowning in water. A drowning person does not shout, does not flounder in the water, does not wave his arms, and most often looks rather calm from the side. However, this is not calm, but panic, which paralyzes the victim and prevents him from performing simple saving actions. there is obvious signs, by which you can recognize that something is wrong with a person in the water:

• the swimmer's head is half submerged in water, and the mouth is under water or at the very surface; the second option - the head is thrown back, the mouth is open
• the eyes do not focus attention, the gaze is empty and as if "glassy"; or eyes are completely closed
• the swimmer's hair covers the forehead and eyes, obviously getting in the way, while the person does not try to remove them
• the person is in the water in an upright position, while the legs remain motionless, and the swimmer makes repulsive movements with his hands (as if trying to push off the water)
• a person tries to roll over on his back or lean back, also making movements with his hands that push away from the water
• the swimmer breathes unevenly, sharply and intermittently, trying to capture more air in his mouth

Remember that the entire drowning process usually takes 20 to 40 seconds. If during this time you do not come to the aid of a person, he will completely go under the water and obviously die. Therefore, if any of the swimmers (adult or child) makes you suspicious of their behavior on the water, do not hesitate and ask him a simple question: are you okay? If the person did not answer him, then everything is in order, and you are simply mistaken. If the answer is an empty "glass" look and ragged breathing, you have only half a minute to pull the victim out of the water and save someone's life.

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