Stand Up Paddle Water Safety and Rescue

Rear Release

This is very much the same as the front release but this time the casualty is behind the rescuer. Again, submerge yourself and use your hands to push the casualty away from you. Swim away to a safer location and attempt to establish good, calm verbal communication.

Tows

Hold their arms upward. Sink and roll to break free.

Once you have control of the casualty it is necessary to signal for assistance. Shout and wave for help. Although you have the casualty at this point you are still without equipment and the rescue remains high risk.

There are simple yet effective methods for towing a casualty without rescue equipment. There are a variety of reasons as to why and when one should use certain tows. Real life situations have shown us that you often do what works best. These techniques are designed to give the rescuer options.

Extended arm tow

This tow is suitable for a conscious casualty. Instruct the casualty to reach out with their arm. Hold their wrist and side stroke while encouraging the casualty to kick their feet.

Chin tows

This tow is suitable for unconscious casualties with suitable buoyancy or exhausted conscious casualties that are struggling to keep their airway out of the water. You can either swim with an extended arm or for more casualty control rest the casualties head on your shoulder.

Cross chest tow

Suitable for unconscious casualties. Lifeguards on beaches use this tow when bringing a person back through the surf as it maintains control of the casualty, especially when they are a dead weight.

Post rescue care

People react in different ways after being rescued. Casualties can appear embarrassed, thankful, distressed or relieved. Once we have got someone to a point of safety whether it be back on their board or to a pontoon it is necessary to ask a number of questions to establish if further medical attention is needed.

1.Are you sure you were alone?

Casualties in a state of panic may not hear you correctly in the water when you ask them if they are alone or not. Once back to a point of safety it is important to confirm this.

2.Did you inhale or swallow any water?

If the casualty has aspirated water they can develop a condition commonly referred to as ‘Secondary drowning’. A tablespoon of water can be highly toxic to the lungs and can seriously affect the casualty, even prove fatal up to 72 hours after a drowning event has occurred. Symptoms may include respiratory distress, coughing, vomiting and delayed levels of response.

3.Did you receive a blow to the head?

Post rescue care is about trying to establish how and why the casualty ended up in the water or whether they have sustained any injuries that require further medical care.

4.Did you lose consciousness at any point?

Any person that has lost consciousness and ended up in the water or lost consciousness while in the water must be assessed by a healthcare professional.

5.Are you on any drugs or medication?

This may be prescribed medication or recreational drugs. Once again, here we are attempting to put together any information that may explain how the incident occurred.

SUP Board Rescue

A SUP board of adequate volume and dimension provides a platform that can be used to rescue a person from the water in the same way as a lifeguard rescue board. It must be made clear that SUP boards are considerably wider and noticeably more difficult to handle in a rescue situation when compared to the traditional lifeguard rescue board. Through trials and testing, WSA have identified that a narrower SUP board with side straps provides a functional and practical rescue craft.

The use of a board in a rescue situation provides:

1. A swift and reliable method of reaching the casualty from an elevated position above the water which allows the rescuer to maintain visual contact of the casualty.

2. A solid and reassuring platform for the casualty.

3. A reliable means of transport back to safety.

Conscious casualty self-rescue using their own a board

When rescuing a casualty who is visibly conscious, alert and clear of danger it is important to remain calm and reassure the casualty. Although there may not be any danger present the casualty could become increasingly panicked.

1. Ensure that your group is safe prior to approaching the casualty.

2. Establish casualty contact on your approach and assess the situation for dangers.

3. When near, drop to your knees and bring the board alongside casualty.

It may be appropriate to allow your casualty to have a moments rest and reassurance prior to asking them to re-board.

4. Instruct the casualty to lay on the board face down;

(i)placing paddle under their chest and paddle 'prone' using their arms or, depending on the paddlers 'state'

(ii)you can tow them back to shore

Board rescue of a conscious casualty using their board and towing

Individuals that are not used to Stand Up Paddling can become fatigued. A light breeze is enough to challenge a person’s ability to control the board when paddling against the wind. It may be necessary to tow a student and there are a couple of different methods out there to carry out this technique.

1. Ensure that the rest of your group is safe. This may mean gathering your group in a location or asking them to remain stationary.

2. Establish casualty contact on your approach and assess the situation for dangers.

3. When near, drop to your knees, remove your leash and fasten it tightly around the handle of the casualties paddle. Ensure the blade of the paddle is placed under the casualties chest with the shaft angled upwards.

4.Once the casualty is comfortable and holding firmly onto the paddle in the prone position you can start to paddle yourself either on your knees or in the prone position. Alternatively you can ask them to hold onto your leash and have their paddle secured under their chest.

If the casualty is injured or unwell then it may not be appropriate to ask them to hold onto a paddle or a leash while being towed. In this situation you may have to discard their board and paddle and secure them onto your board. Their board and paddle can be picked up by another instructor or left to be retrieved later.

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If you are going to leave any equipment in the water it is crucial that you notify lifeguards or the coastguard to avoid search and rescue teams being deployed. Members of the public that observe floating objects in the water are likely to make an emergency call. Board rescue of a conscious casualty using their board

It may be appropriate to have the student mount the instructors board as the best and soundest method of assistance.

Here you can see the importance of the instructors board being of adequate length and volume in order to carry out a board rescue. In addition, handles are essential for the casualty to make easy contact with the board and to assist in pulling themselves aboard. This board is an iSUP (inflatable) which minimises any impact injury issues when boarding, is more comfortable to lie on and is 12'6" in length. For two adults to share a board in a rescue situation this approximates an appropriate length (Failure to use an appropriate board, failure to carry out an appropriate rescue, can lead to serious consequences).

Stand Up Paddle Water Safety and Rescue

Board rescue of an unconscious casualty

Being faced with a person floating face down in the water is every instructor’s worst nightmare. This situation requires swift and methodical action. Human beings require oxygen to survive and therefore the primary concern of a rescuer is to get the casualties airway clear of the water.

The following technique has been designed to help a lone rescuer retrieve an unconscious, exhausted or injured casualty from the water. Different boards and body sizes can make this type of rescue very challenging.

Stand Up Paddle Water Safety and Rescue

1.Ensure that the remaining members of the group are safe.

2.Even if the casualty is lying face down in the water it is important to shout and reassure the casualty that help is on the way. Medical studies suggest that hearing is the last sense to go before death. If a drowning victim hears the voice of a rescuer coming to their assistance it may be difference between them giving up or fighting on for another few seconds.

3.Once you are close to the casualty and it is obvious that they are unconscious in the water you should discard your paddle, remove your leash, and approach the casualty with speed, this will help you scoop them from the water. Once along side them, with your arms, reach under their armpits and break the casualties face free from the water.

4.Assess the casualty for ‘Signs of life’ and check whether they appear to be breathing. If the casualty is not breathing then administer five rescue breaths to the nose while keeping their mouth shut. We refer to this technique as Expired Air Ventilation (EAV).

5.At this point you must ensure you shout and signal for assistance. Roll the casualty towards the nose of your board. The casualty should be on the upper third of the board with the rail opposite to you underneath their armpit.

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6.Make sure you keep one hand on the casualty so you don't lose them. Get your bodyweight over the top of the board and use your knee you dig the rail closest to you. Pull the outside rail towards you so that the board rolls and ends up with the fin(s) facing upwards. Make sure casualty is pushed back into the same position with their armpits on the outside rail. Repeat the roll.

7.The casualty is now lying on the board and at this stage you can get onto the board and position them correctly. You will have to remove their leash if you haven’t already done this. Signal for assistance and attempt to get help on the way. Choose a suitable location to land the casualty.

It must be stated that this technique is extremely difficult. An unconscious person is very heavy and awkward to handle. Getting someone that is unconscious into a boat, onto a board and swimming with them is one of the hardest things a lifesaver will experience. The help of another person(s) will make the handling of an incident like this much easier and efficient.