The survey shows that only 7 percent of respondents know the proper steps to assisting a drowning swimmer. Read what you should do for a drowning swimmer.
The Lehigh Valley and northwestern New Jersey have already seen seven water-related deaths this year, and experts want to stem the tide with summer heat forecast to hit the region today.
The American Red Cross on Tuesday released results of a 2013 survey showing an increase in swimming safety negligence that can lead to more drowning and swimming-related accidents.
It comes as the National Weather Service in Mount Holly, N.J., forecasts the first heat wave of the season through Sunday, with highs expected to be around 90 degrees. AccuWeather.com says temperatures could challenge records.Many of the region's water-related deaths this year came well before swimming season:
Two teenage boys' bodies were pulled in January from Budd Lake in New Jersey's Mount Olive Township; two bodies were recovered from the Delaware and Raritan Canal in Hunterdon County, those of New Hope bartender Sarah Majoras on Jan. 30 and a 49-year-old Mercer County man on April 7; the bodies of fishermen were found April 1 in Round Valley Reservoir in Clinton Township and May 16 in a pond in the Spruce Run Recreation Area in Union Township; and on Monday, authorities found the body of a 52-year-old Lackawanna County man in the Delaware River in Upper Mount Bethel Township.
Water dangerously cold
AccuWeather reports that even as temperatures rise, bodies of water are often still cold this time of year, and the waters can "quickly bring on muscle cramps and increase the risk of drowning." Its report recommends closely supervising swimmers.
In waterways like the Delaware River, Gerry Boylan, former captain of the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit, attributes drownings to three primary circumstances: swimmers underestimating the current's strength, people failing to take precautionary measures beforehand or alcohol consumption convincing a person that "they can swim the river.""You have a lot of people tubing and rafting down the Delaware unsupervised all the time," Boylan said.
Conducted two weeks ago nationally, the American Red Cross phone survey of more than 1,000 adults reveals more than half of respondents plan to swim without lifeguard supervision this summer, a 3 percentage point increase from the same study done in 2009.
Of those planning to swim unsupervised, 63 percent are in families with children.
"We always recommend that children swim with a buddy -- or that really anybody should not be swimming alone," said Jennifer LoConte, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Northeast Pennsylvania Region.Life preservers vital
The survey also found misinformation, including regarding the use of anything other than U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets for those who cannot swim.
Parents "think that if they put their children in those water wings that it means they are going to be safe and that they don't have to be supervised," LoConte said. "That's exactly the opposite. Water wings are not going to keep a child afloat if they cannot swim."
The survey also showed that only 7 percent of the population knows the Red Cross's three-stage process of helping someone who may be drowning: "Shout for help, reach or throw a rescue or flotation device and call 9-1-1 if needed," Dr. Peter G. Wernicki, a member of the Red Cross Scientific Advisory Council and the chairman of its Aquatics Sub-Council, said in a statement.
Instead, 60 percent answered that their first action would be to swim out and assist the endangered swimmer, a method the study calls "a dangerous course of action which risks the life of the rescuer."
Boylan agreed that a bystander's last option should be to attempt to swim out for the drowning swimmer, saying, "They panic and they can't make it to safety. If I could show you what fear does to people, it's unbelievable the strength it gives them, but it disables their reasoning."
The survey's biggest percentage increase from 2009 was in the segment of people who reported having known someone who nearly drowned: 41 percent, which is 16 points higher than it was three years ago.
"Clearly, supervision helps and saves lives, but a lot of it is common sense," Boylan said. "People don't realize how quickly things go from good to very, very bad."***
WATER DISTRESS SIGNS
Jennifer LoConte, spokeswoman for the American Red Cross Northeast Pennsylvania Region, said that aside from swim lessons, including those available through RedCross.org, the number of drownings can be lessened through diligence."If someone is having trouble staying afloat or they are actually drowning, people think that the person would be making a lot of noises. That's actually not the case," she said. "Usually, it's very, very quiet and it can happen very quickly.
"It can happen so quickly and quietly that I think everyone needs to realize they've got to pay very special attention when they're around water, especially when you have children."
Signs of a swimmer in trouble include:- Treading water and waving an arm.
- Doggie paddling with no forward progress.
- Hanging onto a safety line.
- Floating on their back and waving their arms.
- Arms extended side or front, pressing down for support, but making no forward progress.
- Positioned vertically in the water, but not kicking legs.
- Underwater for more than 30 seconds.
- Floating at surface, face-down, for more than 30 seconds.
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HELPING A DROWNING SWIMMER
To help a drowning swimmer in an unsupervised location, Gerry Boylan, former captain of the Garden State Underwater Recovery Unit, recommends "reach, row, throw or go":
- First, see if you can reach the swimmer with some kind of rope or branch or anything nearby.
- If not, and you have a boat, row out to the swimmer and help them into the boat.
- If you do not have a boat, throw them a life vest or flotation device.
- If none of these are options, then you should swim out to help them.