::: Drown Prevention
	Drowning precaution signs and life buoys CPR promotion Accidents occurring in the water are usually caused by: 1. panic: which will induce contractions in the muscles, cause stiffness of the body, and as a result, reduce mobility; 2. exhaustion: struggling consumes energy, thus decreasing the opportunity to survive. Therefore, when confronting drowning accidents, one should always stay calm, determine the situation and the immediate environment, and either use body buoyancy or grab hold of any floating object to stay alive. The principle of self- rescue in the water requires one to “preserve energy, by using the least amount of energy in order to stay alive in the water for the longest amount of time”. To do so, one should reduce the respiratory rate, relax one’s muscles, and slow down any unnecessary movements. Another rule of thumb is to “use all objects which will help increase buoyancy to keep the body floating, while waiting for rescue”. Drowning Prevention Advice 1. Consider your health condition. People who have heart diseases, hypertension, infectious diseases, epilepsy, dermatosis, eye diseases, etc. should not be swimming. 2. Choose locations with lifeguards on duty or supervised public beach. 3. Do not swim in areas where there are warning signs such as “No Swimming”, “Danger Deep Water”, etc. 4. Avoid noontime exposure. Especially during summer time, ultraviolet rays at the beach are particularly damaging for skin, and may cause skin cancer. When swimming at night, do so only at a swimming pool. 5. Avoid swimming in water with very low temperature (unless you are a winter swimmer). Never swim in water with an extremely low temperature in the winter, to prevent dying from hypothermia. 6. Do not swim when you feel starved, full, drunk, or in a bad mood. After a meal, wait at least one hour before swimming. 7. Follow the beach safety policy which is posted at the entrance of every beach. 8. Always wear swimsuits or swimming trunks. Never go into the water in jeans. When someone is in trouble in the water, call for help by yelling: “Someone is drowning!” Do not jump into the water to attempt a rescue if you have not been trained in rescue skills. At the same time, ask someone to dial 119 to seek help from the fire brigade. Also, look for life preservers such as rescue rope bags, life rings, lifeguard balls, rescue hooks, etc. to aid rescue from onshore. 9. Always warm up and take a shower before going into the water. 10. Always swim with a partner in order to take care of each other. When a group of people are going swimming, always count heads before and after the activity. One or two people should remain on shore to watch out for everybody’s safety. 11. Beginners should learn to swim in a pool and become aware of self-rescue skills, simple first-aid, and CPR. Since swimming is the first step to all kinds of water sports, good swimmers who are also equipped with rescue skills will enjoy the fun in greater safety. 12. Children should always swim under adult supervision. 13. Stay out of the water when storms and earthquakes occur. 14. Do not use goggles, snorkels and fins unless instructed by a coach. In the case of scuba diving, one should receive training and first get a license. Do not dive alone, and always display a diver’s flags in the area for safety purposes. 15. When changing position while rowing, put your center of gravity as low as possible, or do it when coming alongside a dock or shore. For safety concerns, never take an overloaded boat. 16. Always wear a life jacket when doing water sports, other than swimming. 17. When rock fishing, always wear a life jacket, spike shoes and a helmet. Be aware of the tide cycle. Watch out for any sudden freak waves. Leave immediately when you see big waves coming. 18. Near-drowning victims should immediately go to a hospital to prevent dying from the second-time drowning.   Warm-up activities Do not rely on inflated buoys