WHY DO PEOPLE DROWN?

SUBMITTED BY:
WENDELL B. BONOCAN

COLLEGE:
COLEGIO DE ILIGAN

SUBMITTED TO:
MS.NESSIL SHANDY J. VILLARDO, RC

June 29, 2021

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 Why Do People Drown

INTRODUCTION
BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Drowning is a type of suffocation induced by the submersion or immersion of the mouth
and nose in a liquid. Most instances of fatal drowning occur alone or in situations where
others present are either unaware of the victim's situation or unable to offer assistance.
After successful resuscitation, drowning victims may experience breathing problems,
vomiting, confusion, or unconsciousness. Occasionally, victims may not begin
experiencing these symptoms for several hours after they are rescued. An incident of
drowning can also cause further complications for victims due to low body
temperature, aspiration of vomit, or acute respiratory distress syndrome. Drowning is
more likely to happen when spending extended periods of time near large bodies of
water. Risk factors for drowning include a lack of training or attention to children,
alcohol or drug use, epilepsy, and lack of higher education, which is often accompanied
by diminished or non-existent swimming skills. Common drowning locations include
natural and man-made bodies of water, bathtubs, swimming pools, and even buckets and
toilets. Drowning occurs when an individual spends too much time with their nose and
mouth submerged in a liquid to the point of being unable to breathe. If this is not
followed by an exit to the surface, low oxygen levels and excess carbon dioxide in the
blood trigger a neurological state of breathing emergency, which results in increased
physical distress and occasional contractions of the vocal folds. Significant amounts of
water usually only enter the lungs later in the process.
STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM
Drowning is a leading cause of death worldwide and a social and health problem
worldwide (Avramidis & Butterly, 2008; World Health Organization, n.d.). Because of
this, a number of models have been used or proposed in the past to understand why or
how people drown and to suggest preventative measures. Some of the models and
strategies for preventing drowning include the R.I.D. factor of drowning (Pia, 1984), the
5 min scanning strategy (Griffiths, 2000), the C-zones of the Connolly framework
(Connolly, 2004, 2008) and the 4W model of drowning (Avramidis, Butterly &
Llewellyn, 2007). According to the 4W model, a drowning incident can occur due to
causes that can be categorized into four discrete interrelated factors: rescuer
characteristics, casualty characteristics, and location and temporal/environmental
circumstances (Avramidis, Butterly & Llewellyn, 2007, 2009a, 2009b, 2009c). The
following paragraphs discuss the fourth component of the 4W model of drowning, or in
other words, the circumstances under which a drowning incident might occur (e.g., the
interrelationship between casualty, rescuer, and equipment involved in the aquatic
activity, the risk as a physical demand of aquatic activity, the presence

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OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY.
The use of appropriate equipment is vital for the survival of both casualty and rescuer.
Firefighters, police, and military services are commonly seen to improvise rescues in
flooded water wearing their typical uniforms and apparel. One could wonder what the
reaction would be if firefighters were to attack a fire wearing wetsuits or if police made
arrests in lifejackets instead of bullet-proof vests (Ray, 2006). A number of items of
equipment, therefore, interrelate with the casualty and the rescuer to enhance or prevent
drowning. The first type of appropriate equipment for making rescues is the use of wet or
dry suits. People entering cold water during the abandonment of a ship or while rescuing
others face a number of dangers (e.g., inhalation of water, the possibility of laryngeal
spasm causing simply asphyxiation, or drowning) that can be overcome if they are dry
next to the skin, having prepared themselves by wearing a sensible amount of clothing
including an outside layer that is both windproof and waterproof, such as a well design
survival suit (Cross, n.d.). Second, a personal flotation device (PFD) assists the person to
remain at the surface without great effort and therefore should be worn during aquatic
activities at all times. In many cases people who drowned during boating activities were
not wearing a PFD properly or not wearing one at all (Morbidity and Mortality Weekly
Report, 2001; Newman, Diekema, Shubkin, Klein, & Quan, 1998; Quan, Bennett,
Cummings, Trusty, & Treser, 1998; Treser, Trusty, & Yang, 1987; United States Coast
Guard, 2001). Third, casual clothes should be worn under the lifejacket by people
entering cold water who should float and remain still rather than swimming around
(Keatinge, 1978) because even olympic level swimmers could not swim much more than
10 min in water temperature of 10°C fully clothed (e.g., British Defense, 1990). Finally,
although lifeguards are the primary unit in the operation of protective and rescue services,
their effectiveness is significantly increased by the availability and the quality use of
certain types of equipment. For example, lifeguard detection systems that sound the alarm
when they see someone in danger of drowning (e.g., artificial intelligence systems,
scientifically designed to provide backup during moments of boredom or distraction and
capable in detecting casualties when the lifeguards fail in doing so; Boeglin, 2008;
Marks, 2001; Vitoria & Hardy, 2008), fiber fins that enable lifeguards to maintain the
same velocity from the beginning to the end of each rescue (e.g., Abraldes et al., 2007),
and rescue tubes that, despite the apparent benefit of their use during the rescue, increase
water resistance when they are positioned across the rescuer’s chest (and therefore an
emphasis must been given to also how these equipment are used; Leclerc, 2007), are
some of the equipment that are interrelated with the lifeguard.

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RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What are the four sign of drowning?
Answer: Victim is vertical in water with no supporting kick or lateral movement,
Victim has head back and mouth open to breathe in and they cannot and do not cry out
(drowning is silent), They have their arms extended out from their shoulders, pressing
palms downward into water, They bob up and down.
2. What are the four main types of drowning?
Answer: Primary -dying at the scene of submersion. Secondary -dying within 72
hours of ingesting water and/or chemicals, pollutants, or biological matter into the lungs
(there may be more of these than primary drownings -no one knows exactly). Wet -
displacing air with water in the lungs and sinking to the bottom. Dry -suffering a non-
released spasm of the larynx/epiglottis, not ingesting water into the lungs, remaining
positively buoyant but unable to breathe [about 10-15% of all drownings].
3. What three primary factors are shared by most drowning deaths?
Answer: Inability to swim, relatively or absolutely cold water, alcohol or drug
impairment.
4. How far from safety are most drowning?

Answer: 10 feet or less. Most drowning victims fall from a dock or boat. The majority
do not swim into danger. Swimming victims tend to over-rate own ability while
discounting hazards.
5. What happens to a person wearing heavy clothing, such as fire fighter turn-out
gear, if they fall into the water?
Answer: Nothing, besides getting wet if they know what to do and have practiced
fully clothed, relaxed back floating. [Where is their PFD?] And -fire fighters’ PFD’s
work best when worn  under turn-out coats. Duck hunter/fishermen take note too-or
wear a PFD.

PREFERENCES

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drowning

https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1219&context=ijare

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 Circumstances of Occurrence of a Drowning Incident
Under Whatever Circumstances Sub-Scales

Interrelationship among casualty and equipment Wet and dry suit

Casual clothes
Personal flotation device
Quality of materials
Lifeguard detection systems
Other lifeguard equipment
Risk as physical demand of the activity Presence or absence of others

Time of occurrence

Weekend -Weekday

Month

Vacancy-Holiday

The type of activity Scuba diving equipment

Water birth

Water baby programs

Transportation

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