NORTHERN WISCONSIN – If your plans to cool off this week include a dip in the lake, it’s important to know the signs of drowning – it rarely matches how drownings are portrayed in movies and TV shows.
Oneida County Public Safety Dive Team leader Michael Fraley says people who are drowning aren’t shouting or waving their arms about.
“It's really a silent action,” Fraley said. “People aren't able to make noise when they're drowning. Their lungs are already in trouble. They can't breathe, so they can't make noise. They're not going to be screaming like we think that they are. They're also not going to be able to wave to you. Their arms are going to be trying to keep them afloat.”
Here’s what you should be looking for:
It happens quick.
“20 to 60 seconds, they say, before that person's going to be underneath the water,” Fraley said. “So, getting somebody out there that knows how to help them with some sort of a rescue device … something that person can grab onto to give them some flotation and get somebody out there that can help them as quickly as possible.”
Floatation devices can range from a swim or rescue buoy to a lifejacket or even a swim noodle.
Fraley says about half the people that drown do so within 25 yards of another person.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings occur in the United States each year, an average of 11 deaths per day. An additional 8,000 nonfatal drownings are treated in emergency departments annually.
More children ages one to four die from drowning than any other cause of death. Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury death for children ages five to 14.
The Oneida County Public Safety Dive Team is trained in rescue and recovery and get about 10 to 12 callouts per year.
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