Water Safety - An Introduction

[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Every year, lots of people make mistakes. Mistakes that get them in trouble in the water. Most of these people hadn't planned on going in the water. And like Craig here, most of them were all alone when the accident [Music] happened. What could Craig have done to avoid this accident? What can he do now? What did this boy do to get himself in trouble? What can he do now? [Music] She made the same two mistakes our last friend [Applause] made. Swimming alone and trusting a flotation device to take her farther than she could swim safely. I won. Yeah, you won. All right. But you had a head start. I bet I could beat you across the river. Yeah, you haven't got a chance. Well, let's find out. Let me catch you. Oh, you're just afraid I'll beat you. I'm not. Come on then. Okay. On your mark, get set, go. [Music] Wait a minute. I've got a cramp. [Music] [Music] [Music] What did they do that got them into this trouble? [Music] [Music] [Music] What caused this accident? What can the others do to help him? This could be you in the water with all your clothes on and no life preserver. Still, there's no reason to panic if you know what to do. If you've prepared yourself to be safe in the water first, if you want to be safe in the water, you should learn to swim. You can learn at your city pool or at the YMCA. You can also learn special ways of floating that can keep you safe even when you're very tired. Survival floating will keep you afloat for a long time with little energy. Here's how it's done. Breathe deeply, hold the breath, push down with your arms, exhale, and take another breath. It looks easy, but it's better to learn the proper technique before you end up in a situation where you need to use it. a situation like this. The water that Craig fell into is cold. In just a few seconds, cold water can wear you out. But Craig knows survival floating. So, he can work his way to the shore with little effort. Even if you fall in the water with heavy clothing on, you can still float. If you keep calm, blowing air into your coat will help you to float even better. If you had to, you could float for a long time this way. And time can be important. Another way of avoiding trouble is to always swim with a buddy. Never swim alone, but don't try to be a showoff. Don't swim when you're tired or cold. And don't swim too far from shore. Rescuing a drowning victim is a job for a lifeguard. But if you must help someone in trouble, do it in a way that won't get you in trouble, too. Give me a tool. The right way to help someone is to give them something to hold on to and go for help. Keeping something between you and the drowning victim is important. It keeps them from grabbing you and getting you in trouble, too. No matter where an accident happens, there are right and wrong ways of trying to help. Here are some of the right ways of helping. Knowing how to prevent accidents and knowing what to do if an accident does happen is important, but too many people don't know anything about it. How about you? What should you know about water safety? [Music]