RES CPR 2 Establish National Standard Operating Procedures for Water Rescues for Public Safety Personnel
Develop and implement national standard operating procedures for responding to water rescues for all Public Safety Personnel. This includes, but is not limited to: use of specialized personnel to evaluate hazards and perform certain functions (i.e. swift water, ocean, ice, mud rescue).
Spectrum level: Changing Organizational Practices Educating Providers
Evidence level: Medium
Rationale:
Evidence shows that first responders have lost their lives while trying to rescue others in an aquatic emergency when they were not adequately trained in water rescue. Additionally, there is little evidence of specific water rescue policies and procedures that are widely adopted.
Anticipated Impact:
After implementing this recommendation, you can expect to experience the following outcomes.
- Aquatic rescue policies that are enforced lead to greater adoption of aquatic rescue procedures by public safety personnel. - Public safety personnel who are properly trained in aquatic rescue will lead to more lives being saved from drowning.
- Public safety personnel who are properly trained in aquatic rescue will lead to greater self safety during aquatic emergencies.
Evidence:
First responders have lost their lives while trying to rescue others when not adequately trained in water rescue. There is little evidence of specific water rescue policies that are widely adopted, yet, there are some policies that could be used as a baseline for agencies to follow.
Evidence Sources:
Government of California. Presentation on Water Rescue Awareness for First Responders. https://slideplayer.com/slide/1520147/
River Rescue: A Manual for Whitewater Safety, 4th Ed. https://www.amazon.com/River-Rescue-Manual-Whitewater-Safety/dp/0964958562
Fire and Rescue Departments Of Northern Virginia Firefighting And Emergency Operations Manual - Inland Water Rescue and Emergencies https://www.scribd.com/document/587042128/Inland-Water-Rescue-and-Emergencies-Manual-First-Edition-2010
Department of the Interior, National Park Service - SWIFTWATER RESCUE MANUAL. http://mra.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/nps-swiftwater-rescue-manual-rev09-23-2012-SMALL.pdf
Turgut A, Turgut T. A study on rescuer drowning and multiple drowning incidents. J Safety Res. 2012 Apr;43(2):129-32. doi: 10.1016/j.jsr.2012.05.001. Epub 2012 May 18.
Cal Fire. Overview on Water Rescue Awareness for Surf/Ocean Rescues. https://www.btutraining.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Surf-Rescue-Awareness.pdf
San Francisco Fire Department. Standard for Water Rescue Training. http://ufsw.org/pdfs/waterrescueoperations.pdf
USLA. Training & Standards of Aquatic Rescue Response Teams. https://cdn.ymaws.com/www.usla.org/resource/resmgr/docs/uslaarrtguidelines.pdf
High Risk Populations Addressed:
The population whose risk of drowning decreases the most with the implementation of this recommendation may have one or more of the following characteristics:
- Public safety personnel who do not have proper training in water rescue.
Evaluation Metrics:
Indicators of long-term impact:
- Public safety personnel drownings during rescue decrease
- Public safety personnel save more lives from aquatic emergency incidents
- Public safety personnel make sound decision when making rescues in and around the water
Indicators of intermediate impact:
- Organizations begin to create trainings and policies to help guide effective and safe rescue procedures for public safety personnel
Indicators of initial impact:
- Trainings for public safety personnel increase
- Participation level in trainings increase
- Rescues by public safety personnel increase
Implementation:
Consider the following to ensure successful implementation:
- Create policy that is supported by organizations and easily implemented to avoid "red tape".
- Discover the resources for effective compliance.
- Instill a cultural, and, or perceptual change for first responders making aquatic rescues.
Challenges to Implementation:
When implementing this recommendation, you might encounter challenges related to the following factors.
- Existing trainings may be limited.
- Overarching organizations to monitor and train are limited.
- Change the attitudes of public safety personnel in their decision making during aquatic rescue will be difficult.
Potential Facilitators:
The following factors might facilitate the implementation of this recommendation.
- Ensure adequate training of trainers.
- Develop consensus organizational policy, procedure and training for aquatic rescues.
- Ensure sustainable funding for training, equipment, personnel, etc.
GAP Recommendation:
There is limited understanding of the relationship between the trainings provided and the effectiveness of rescue during water emergencies. Additional studies should be done on the effectiveness of specific floatation devices or makeshift flotation devices.