ABW June 2016-1

NING PREVENTION
There is perhaps nothing quite so devastating
and tragic as the drowning of a young child.
And, sadly, in many cases those drownings could
have been avoided by knowing how to swim or,
equally importantly, by knowing when it is safe to
go into the water and when it’s not.
Understanding what signals the water is sending,
and reacting appropriately, was part of a two week
program conducted last month, May, in Iba by qualified
lifeguards from Zambales Lifesaving. Following
the successful pilot program this year it is hoped
sufficient resources can be found to run the drowning
awareness and prevention seminars throughout
Zambales next year.
The one day
‘Swim Safe —
Drowning Prevention’
course
was formulated
in consultation
with a number
of international
organizations
such as the
Royal National
Lifeboat Institute
of the UK.
The ‘Swim Safe — Drowning Prevention’ objective
is to prevent drowning among the most vulnerable
children, i.e. those 10 years old and under, as part
of the ‘Drown-free Zambales’ vision. Each day long
seminar consisted of up to 10 children; and one
parent or guardian per child attended to observe
and to learn.
Words by
BARRY
DAWSON
Photographs
as credited
It is important to emphasize the program in NOT
about teaching children to swim. It is about teaching
them to identify and avoid dangerous water hazards
such as rip-currents, (or rips). Rips are strong currents
that begin close to the shore and flow away from
the beach: some run parallel to the beach before
finally heading out to sea, and learning how to
avoid, or overcome, them is an important step in
the prevention of drowning.
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