Water safety in summer

In order to have only positive memories of parties by water bodies in the summer and of cooling baths, keep yourself and your loved ones away from accidents.

  • Never leave children unattended near water bodies. A drowning child does not make a noise, so teach your child how to swim at a very early age and talk to them about water-related hazards.
  • When going onto a water body with a watercraft, always wear life-saving equipment. In the event of an accident, it is very difficult or even impossible to put on the life jacket. Almost all the victims of a watercraft accident would be alive if they were wearing a life jacket.
  • While staying at the water body with friends, keep in mind that while drinking alcohol, people may not be able to assess their abilities adequately. Do not allow a drunk friend to go into the water!
  • Before going to the water, always assess critically the water temperature, transparency, depth, flow, waves, the banks of the water body and the type of the bottom. Do not jump into the water at an unknown place!


Action in case of water accidents

When rescuing yourself:

  • call for help;
  • try not to panic - be calm and do not struggle;
  • look around for floating objects;
  • try to stay floating calmly on the surface;
  • clothes and even boots can help you float on the surface of the water;
  • when the shore is near, swim to the shore.

When falling into water from the boat:

  • Call for help and try not to panic;
  • try to climb into the boat from the stern;
  • hold on to the boat railing, while the other person rows to the shore;
  • When the boat capsizes, hold on to the boat or climb on top of it.

Helping others

You may be familiar with the basic techniques of saving a person in trouble from the water, but do not forget - your own security first and foremost. If there is the slightest doubt that you cannot help, call for professional help.

Calling for help

  • call nearby people for help;
  • if you are afraid to act yourself, draw someone's attention to what is going on;
  • in a pool, water park and public swimming area, call rescue workers or get someone else to do this;
  • if the person in need of help is in the water - help them and only then call for help or send someone for help at the same time or vice versa;
  • call 112 and report what happened.

Assisting the victim from the shore:

  • hand the victim an object, such as a strong branch, an oar, a board, etc., in the pools there may be a special stick for it;
  • lie on your abdomen at the edge of the pool or on the wharf and reach a hand to the person in need of help;
  • if the person in need of help is out of the “reach of the hands," you can throw them a lifesaver, such as a lifebuoy or a heaving line, and pull the victim to the shore;
  • if there are no lifesaving tools, throw in any floating object.

Assisting the victim in water:

  • help the victim in the water, if it is shallow enough and your feet reach the bottom;
  • do not go to the water if the flow, the stream, and the soft bottom make it difficult to drag the victim;
  • leave some kind of a floating device between the victim and yourself;
  • if the victim is able to grab on to the floating device, drag them to the shore;
  • if the victim is unconscious, turn them onto their back and pull them to the shore or to the shallow end of the pool;
  • if the victim is in shallow water, their feet reach the bottom, and they are able to stand, put the victim’s arm around your neck and over your shoulder, grab crossways their hand and help them out of the water;
  • if the victim is unconscious or very heavy, they must be dragged out of the water; for this purpose, stand behind them, grab their underarms, supporting their head to the forearms;
  • if the victim slips away, lock your hands on their chest and "drag" them to the shore.