Water/Boating Safety for Kids

[salukigirl]

In an effort not to highjack a previous thread, I am moving this disscussion. I would like input on what other parents have done for children under 12 in order to prepare them for possible accidents on the water.

Much to my kids disgruntlement, we require PFD's at all times in the water and on the dock. Rule at our cabin is that anyone who hasnt passed the lifeguard test has to have on one. Even then though, and although I am well into adulthood, my dad will chastise me if he sees me in the kyack/sailboat without one .

My kids have had swim lessons. But the knowledge of the lake/boating has really come more through hands on disscussions about safety where we slowly build thier store of knowledge. They have been in deep water, tube, and will learn to ski next summer....but in a true emergency, you can never be sure of someone's reactions. What steps do forum members take to educate thier young kids? Are there boating/water safety classess out there for younger children?

[jrc]

It still amazes me that so many people can't swim. I guess it's too expensive to teach kids in school, soccer is cheaper.

[Phantom]

Excellant idea to start aa new thread -- I almost did when it first came up -- so here's my original post

Originally Posted by Phantom

Salukigirl -- It has been a long standing practice of ours (my son/wife/I) to have periodic discussions of what we'd do, who'd do what, or where various items (given a particular emergancy) are located.

We have been doing this since my son was around 10 or 12 years old. Old enough in our opinion to be an active help, given the situation. The topic of any particular discussion comes up based on events that eithor happened around us or we've heard of (such as the Cobolt going down in a matter of seconds). And we've revisited discussions that revolve around that sort of event.

A couple of "for instances" are --

We routinely have our grandchildren aboard (three under the age of 5) -- Even though they always wear PFD's, we've discussed specificaly who grabs who in an event such as just occurred (and we've had this discussion long before the Cobolt). In addition, although (as with most of us) the vast majority of our PFD's are stored away -- there is always 3 "Ski Jacket" type pfd's directly in front of the helm with very easy access.

Another discussion involved an ice skater breaking through the ice -- we've had "verbal drills" as to what steps to take in the event it might be one of us or we directly witness such an event.

(back to boating) I of all people got a nasty gash years ago when I slipped and ripped my arm on the windshield passing thru the passageway on a bowrider -- we now have a fully stocked med kit aboard and everyone knows where it is. On a side note, we created our own kit vs. one of those store bought versions which only have a couple of bandages and a host of other useless stuff. We simply took a tupperware container and a trip to CVS.

Another situation occurred this past Labor Day week-end. My son & I came upon on overturned kyak in 2-3 ft cross-chop in front of the Wiers. My son, now 26 and a very, very strong swimmer, jumped in with a throw PFD to help the struggling Kyaker out and help get both the person & the Kyak alongside. All ended well and there were no issues. Later that day My son & I reviewed the events -- We screwed up!! -- He should never have jumped in (in our collective opinions) before taking the extra 60 seconds it would have taken to put in one of the "Ski Jackets". Lessons learned for the next time!!

Finally, and I will stop this long winded reply -- you seemed concerned that the kids may get "freeked out" -- my retort to that is -- if they are old enough to be driving the vessel (or any other boat, including rowboat) by themselves -- then they MUST know the risks & what the proper thing to do is. Freeked out or not -- They'll remember and perhaps be a little more careful themselves. Remeber, kids don't have the experiance or knowledge and are typically fearless.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

The biggest risk we see to safety for kids on the lake is when they swim off the boat in rough water. If something happened they would be lost in an instant. We always had our kids swim off the boat wearing a life vest. They actually had fun diving off the boat and bouncing up. I am no wimp but get an awful bad feeling when I see a boat stop in the broads and 5 kids jump off. You would think the kids are in much more danger under the boat than on the boat.

As Winni is a northern lake that is pretty cold for half the time we use it, you should consider educating you kids about hypothermia. The time of year changes a water event dramatically. One's ability to get out of the water changes a lot between 70 and 40 degrees.

[Winnipesaukee]

My 2 cents.

I think requiring that non-PFD wearers be lifeguard certified might be a little extreme for the dock. I think if they know how to swim, they should be alright.
Motorboats, if the conditions are smooth, the gunwales are fairly high, and the kids are well-behaved, I don't see a problem with them taking off their jackets.

Kayaks, I don't know. Can go either way.

Sailboats (of ANY kind), PFDs MUST be worn by EVERYONE (unless below deck or well out of the way of the boom). The main reason being getting hit by the boom and knocked out of the boat/unconscious.

A good exercise I use to educate kids (I teach sailing), is during the swim test, throw them a life jacket and have them try to get into it (after having them swim 75 yards and tread water for 4 minutes). It shows them how difficult it is to put one on after a fall overboard and reinforces the rule that PFDs are worn at all times in the boat.

[Rattlesnake Guy]

Originally Posted by Winnipesaukee

My 2 cents.

Motorboats, if the conditions are smooth, the gunwales are fairly high, and the kids are well-behaved, I don't see a problem with them taking off their jackets.

I don't think the lawmakers in Concord agreed.

[CanisLupusArctos]

In EMT class 13 years ago, and in every refresher I've gone to since, they have taught the following about rescuing a person in the water:

A person who feels he/she is in danger of drowning (whether they are or not) is very desperate, and therefore very dangerous to approach. He/she will not think twice about pushing the rescuer under and using the rescuer as a flotation cushion. The victim may be a total saint under normal conditions, but dire situations can bring out some very unpredictable and dangerous behavior in us all.

Therefore, when you're faced with a person thrashing about in the water, remember this order:

Reach - Throw - Row - Go.

First try to reach for the person while secured to dry land or a stable boat. You can use a pole or paddle to extend your reach.

If that doesn't work, try a throwable device, preferably with a rope attached so you can haul them in. In many cases this will be the first thing you do anyway, since victims are seldom within reach.

If that doesn't work, use a boat to go get them ("Row".) This step assumes that the rescuer is on land. "Row" may be the first thing you do if you're already on the water. Upon arriving near the victim you would go through steps 1 & 2 (reach-throw) ONLY IF your craft is stable enough to support someone hanging off the side. If you're in a canoe or a small rowboat, the desperate victim may well capsize it while trying to get in (against your wishes.) If you're not in a sturdy craft, DON'T get too close to the victim. Skip step 1 and just "throw." Then you can tow them to safety - just don't let the desperate person get near your unstable craft.

Finally, if all else fails, and only if all else fails, GO. This means swim. Only do this if you know how to rescue a person from the water and if you're fully prepared to prevent the victim from pushing you under.

Here is something that stunned us all when we learned it in EMT class, but it makes sense:

It is actually OK to wait for the victim to go unconscious IF

1) the victim is hysterical - obviously desperate AND

2) Swimming to the victim is your only rescue option AND

3) You are not prepared or are physically unable to subdue and restrain the victim while simultaneously rescuing him/her.

In such a case, it is a matter of scene safety - the first priority in any rescue scene. If the scene is not safe, an unprepared rescuer is more likely to make the scene worse by becoming an additional victim.

When you have to rescue by swimming, waiting for the hysterical person in water to go unconscious is the only way to ensure scene safety. The unconscious person may then be pulled to safety without endangering the swimmer who's doing the pulling.

Once ashore/aboard, go through the rescue breathing routine - open the airway and check for breathing, and provide it if there is none. The victim may need to be treated for choking (belly thrusts) and sometimes they start breathing spontanously after the water is cleared from the airway. Other times, rescue breathing is what's needed to re-stimulate spontaneous breath. Get the ambulance rolling your way if it's not already.

In both cases, the previously-unconscious victim should get to a hospital to get checked out - even if he/she feels fine. There may be water in the lungs that could lead to infection, and other complications from the near-drowning may become problems later if they're not treated early.

That brings up a final point - Everyone should learn CPR. Even kids can learn it and they have saved lives with it.