Terms
Terms
Terms and definitions are important to standardize approaches to water safety.
Basic swim skills
The American Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council defines basic swim skills as the following: ability to enter the water, surface, turn around, propel oneself for at least 25 yards, and then exit the water
Drowning: a process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion or immersion in a liquid medium.
Drowning can be categorized as a 1) downing death, 2) drowning with morbidity (the condition of suffering from a disease or medical condition), 3) drowning with no morbidity.
Here are the definitions of drowning by the CDC, W.H.O. and AAP Policy and technical papers:
The **American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)** defines drowning as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid" ². The AAP also classifies drowning outcomes as "death," "no morbidity," or "morbidity" (further categorized as "moderately disabled," "severely disabled," "vegetative state/coma," and "brain death") ².
The **World Health Organization (WHO)** defines drowning as "the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid" ².
The **Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)** provides information on drowning prevention, but does not provide a definition of drowning ³.
References:
(1) Prevention of Drowning - American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/126/1/e253/68358/Prevention-of-Drowning.
(2) Publications & Resources | Drowning Prevention | CDC. https://www.cdc.gov/drowning/publications/index.html.
(3) Prevention of Drowning - American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/148/2/e2021052227/179784/Prevention-of-Drowning.
(4) Prevention of Drowning - American Academy of Pediatrics. https://publications.aap.org/pediatrics/article/126/1/178/68263/Prevention-of-Drowning.
(5) AAP Technical Report on Drowning. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052227.
Floats are defined by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission as toys that should meet ASTM (American Society for Testing Materials International) toy standards. All toys sold in the United States must meet the specifications of ASTM F-963-17, thanks to the U.S. Government Consumer Product Safety Improvements Act of 2008.
Swim lessons: Effective swim lessons should provide repeated and progressively more experiential training, including swimming in clothes, swimming in life jackets, falling in, and self-rescue.
U.S. Coast Guard Approved Life Jacket use and rating (Link)
Virginia Graeme Baker Pool and Spa Safety Act (Link)
Water Competency should include knowledge of local hazards in the aquatic environment, risk judgment and self-assessment of abilities, and recognition and response to a person in distress in the water, including safe rescue and CPR.
Preliminary Definitions under revew
Definitions for lifeguard actions
Critical Rescue: when a water rescue requires additional resources, assistance, and action
(medical treatment, rescue boat, extrication, etc.) to interrupt or cease the drowning process.
False rescue: when physical contact is made with rescue equipment or by the lifeguard to a
patron that is displaying the drowning process. However, the patron is not actively or passively
drowning and due to circumstances, the lifeguard is unable to determine the false drowning
display yet intercedes.
False medical response: when a lifeguard leaves the first aid station and responds and treats
person in need of medical assistance. However, the person is not in need of medical treatment.
Group water safety talks: an orientation that a lifeguard provides to group regarding water safety
and swim rules and expectations.
Life jacket education with proper sizing and donning: An agency provides proper sizing and
donning of a life jacket to a patron.
Life jacket lent: An agency lends out a life jacket to a patron or family member who is in need of
a life jacket for an aquatic activity.
Lost person: a person (child or adult) that is separated from their family/group and is unable to
locate and rejoin their family or group.
Medical response: When a lifeguard provides medical treatment to a walk-in patient or is
deployed to provide medical treatment to patient with the outcome being the patient is treated
and released.
Medical response critical: when a lifeguard provides medical treatment that requires additional
resources, assistance, and action (Ambulance or Fire response, additional lifeguards to assist in
the medical treatment, spinal injury, or CPR, etc.).
Missing Person land: An incident where a person is identified as missing with their last seen
point is on land.
Missing Person water: An incident where a person is identified as missing with their last seen
point is in the water.
Prevent: a verbal or physical action that eliminates any cause(s) that would create a potential
hazard in and around the water during a surveillance shift.
Prevent with education: when a preventive action requires non-surveillance staff to provide an
explanation and context to a rule or regulation.
Swim Test: Lifeguard provides a structured swim test to a patron who must demonstrate
swimming skills to use certain areas of a swim facility.
Water Rescue: when physical contact is made with rescue equipment or by the lifeguard to a
patron that is displaying the drowning process. The action interrupts or ceases the drowning
process.
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