Electrical accidents and drowning accidents — when the body loses power or heat.

Electrical accidents and drowning accidents are among the most serious situations a first responder can face — and what they have in common is that your own safety and a calm, systematic approach are as important as the handling of the victim itself.

§Your own safety is the first step in an electrical accident

In an electrical accident, it is life-threatening to touch the person while the current is still connected — the current can flow through you. The first thing you must do is therefore to disconnect the current e.g. by switching off at the switch or unplugging. If the current cannot be disconnected, you must move the current source away from the person with an object that does not conduct current e.g. a dry wooden object — never touch the person directly until you are sure the current is gone.

§After the current is turned off

• 01Call 1-1-2 and say it's an electrical accident
• 02Check consciousness and breathing as with any other emergency
• 03Unconscious with normal breathing: locked side position
• 04Unconscious without normal breathing: start CPR
• 05Cool any burns with water
• 06The person must always be examined by a doctor — electricity can cause heart rhythm disturbances even if the person appears unaffected

§Drowning accidents — ventilation as quickly as possible

In a drowning accident, it is crucial to get oxygen to the person as quickly as possible because it is the lack of oxygen that is the triggering factor. If you can get to it safely, it is recommended to give the first breaths while the person is still in the water and start chest compressions as soon as the person is on solid ground. Always ensure your own safety in and by the water — a drowning person may panic and pull a rescuer with them and you should never swim out if you are in doubt about your own safety.

§Hypothermia — the body loses heat

Hypothermia (cooling) occurs when body temperature falls below around 35 degrees. It can happen with prolonged exposure to cold water but also on land in cold windy and wet conditions. Signs include chills shivering slurred speech drowsiness and eventually severe confusion.

• 01Get the person out of the wind and away from the cold/wet
• 02Remove wet clothing and wrap the person in dry blankets or jackets
• 03Happily give warm drinks or food with good energy if the person is awake and can swallow
• 04Avoid unnecessary and sudden movements of the person.
• 05Never give alcohol — it worsens cooling

§Turbot lives longer in cold water

An important and encouraging point about drowning accidents in cold water is that severe cooling actually can extend survival. When the brain becomes cold it can tolerate longer periods without oxygen and blood supply than normal and there are examples of people being revived without brain damage after very long periods of cardiac arrest because they were also severely cooled. Therefore do not give up in a cold-water drowning even if it has been a long time — continue resuscitation and let the hospital help decide the rest.

“For cold water accidents, a basic rule from the rescue world applies: no one is dead until they are warm and dead.”

— Rescue professional ground rule