Abstract
The basic philosophy of selecting the most appropriate rescue technique by using the over 100-year-old mnemonic, Reach – Throw – Row – Go – Tow remains the gold standard [1, 2]. The rescue categories are arranged by degree of risk and degree of difficulty [2]. The swimming rescue with no form of equipment. Towing with direct physical contact must be the last resort [1, 2]. It should thus be a very rare occurrence. However, over 50 % of 482 trained lifeguards and water safety instructors had engaged in a body contact rescue. This is more than expected as all were trained not to use direct body contact towing, if at all possible. Even more alarming was the fact that for 32 % of these, this was their first ever swimming rescue [3].
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Stallman, R., Abraldes, A., Soares, S. (2014). Direct Body Contact Swimming Rescues. In: Bierens, J. (eds) Drowning. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04253-9_67
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04253-9_67
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