Who rescues who? Understanding aquatic rescues in Australia using coronial data and a survey

Abstract

Objective: To examine fatal drowning associated with aquatic rescues and prior self‐reported experience of undertaking an aquatic rescue in Australia. Methods: Previous aquatic rescue experience was sourced through the 2013 Queensland Computer Assisted Telephone Instrument Survey and compared to data on rescue‐related fatal unintentional drowning between 1 January 2006 and 31 December 2015. Results: Twenty‐three per cent (n=294/1291) of survey respondents had previously performed an aquatic rescue. Males (X2=35.2; p<0.001) were more likely to have performed a rescue; commonly at a beach/ocean/harbour location (X2=13.5; p<0.001). Females were more likely to have rescued a child (0‐4 years of age) (X2=29.2; p<0.001) from a swimming pool (X2=34.3; p<0.001). Fifty‐one people drowned while performing an aquatic rescue (Males=82.4%; 25–44 years of age=53.0%; beaches=54.9%). Conclusions: Drownings are prevented by bystanders; this is not without risk to the rescuer. Most people perform only one rescue in their life, often at a younger age, on an altruistic basis, of family members or young children. Community‐wide rescue skills, taught at a young age, with consideration for coastal, inland and swimming pool environments, may prevent drowning. Implications for public health: There is a need to train people early in their life on how to undertake a safe rescue and provide resuscitation, including promoting regular updates, in particular if supervising children.

The Visible Behaviour of Drowning Persons: A Pilot Observational Study Using Analytic Software and a Nominal Group Technique

“…A badly performed rescue implies a risk that can result in the “AVIR syndrome” (aquatic victim instead of rescuer) [ 14 , 27 , 28 , 29 ]. This observation again emphasises the importance of community-wide teaching of rescue skills [ 30 ].…”

Dying to help: Fatal bystander rescues in Australian coastal environments

“…The issue of aquatic rescues undertaken by bystanders is significant in drowning prevention for two fundamentally important reasons. First, in the absence of lifeguards, bystanders often represent the only form of assistance to those in distress, or may be the nearest first responders in the presence of lifeguards, therefore potentially providing a valuable (and unofficial) lifesaving service [ 7 – 11 ]. Second, it is unfortunately not uncommon for the bystander themselves to drown while attempting a rescue [ 11 ].…”

“…First, in the absence of lifeguards, bystanders often represent the only form of assistance to those in distress, or may be the nearest first responders in the presence of lifeguards, therefore potentially providing a valuable (and unofficial) lifesaving service [ 7 – 11 ]. Second, it is unfortunately not uncommon for the bystander themselves to drown while attempting a rescue [ 11 ]. This is due to a number of factors including impulsive and emotive reactions of the rescuer and a lack of necessary skills to assess the situation, associated hazards, and ability to carry out a successful rescue and resuscitation [ 5 , 8 , 12 – 15 ].…”

“…In this regard, the topic of bystander rescues has only received modest attention in the drowning prevention literature and while fatal bystander rescues undoubtedly occur at an international scale, documentation is somewhat limited, largely due to a lack of accurate, reliable and systematic incident reporting and data availability [ 5 , 13 , 16 – 19 ]. Recent studies by Brander, Warton [ 10 ] and Franklin, Peden [ 11 ] summarised the characteristics and global extent of the problem, while focussing on the Australian context, and used quantitative surveys to describe characteristics and experiences of bystander rescues and rescuers in a range of different Australian aquatic environments. Of note, Franklin, Peden [ 11 ] found that 23% of surveyed respondents had previously undertaken a rescue in an aquatic environment and reported that 51 people drowned while performing an aquatic rescue in Australia between 2006–2015, an average of 5 per year.…”

“…Recent studies by Brander, Warton [ 10 ] and Franklin, Peden [ 11 ] summarised the characteristics and global extent of the problem, while focussing on the Australian context, and used quantitative surveys to describe characteristics and experiences of bystander rescues and rescuers in a range of different Australian aquatic environments. Of note, Franklin, Peden [ 11 ] found that 23% of surveyed respondents had previously undertaken a rescue in an aquatic environment and reported that 51 people drowned while performing an aquatic rescue in Australia between 2006–2015, an average of 5 per year. Brander, Warton [ 10 ] found that 70% of surveyed bystander rescuers felt they had saved a life by performing a rescue.…”