SISCAQU020 — Perform water rescues

Elements & performance criteria

Performance evidence

• participate in four simulated water rescues to return a person in difficulty to a point of safety, and collectively:
• determine appropriate rescue methods and equipment, accounting for the signs of the person experiencing difficulty in the water, and hazards present
• use non-swimming rescue techniques:
• one reach rescue
• one throw rescue
• use swimming rescue techniques to reach and assist a person in the water:
• complete a ten metre swim and then complete one non-contact tow, towing the rescued person for at least ten metres, and remove the person from the water without assistance from another person
• complete a ten metre swim and then complete one contact tow, towing the rescued person for at least ten metres, and remove the person from the water with assistance from one other person
• for each rescue above:
• effectively utilise rescue equipment suited to the type of rescue
• communicate effectively with the rescuee to provide instructions
• demonstrate fitness and strength throughout the rescue
• for one of the above rescues participate in a debrief and complete an incident report.

Knowledge evidence

• organisational procedures for rescues and emergency response
• principles of rescue
• common active and passive signs and signals of a person experiencing difficulty in the water, and how these would indicate their swimming abilities, condition and rescue needs:
• signals and call for help
• uncontrolled and irregular swimming
• vertical body position
• inadequate leg action to sustain head position above the water
• passive distress behaviours
• partially or fully submerged person
• unconscious person
• importance of promptly alerting others to rescue, and:
• organisational reporting lines
• communication protocols for using phones and radios
• relevant information conveyed
• actions that can be taken by other personnel to assist with rescue and post-rescue casualty response
• hazards associated with water rescues, risks to self and person being rescued, and methods used to minimise risk:
• environmental for different aquatic environments
• panic actions of distressed swimmers during rescue
• crowded swimming area and actions of other swimmers and bystanders
• equipment and techniques used in water rescues, and situations indicating their choice:
• non-swimming: reach, throw
• swimming to reach and assist a person in the water: wading and swimming techniques used to reach and rescue, non-contact tow, contact tow
• safe manual handling techniques used to remove rescued persons from the water, both unassisted and assisted by others
• assertive and constructive verbal communication techniques used during rescues to: direct person being rescued, calm and reassure person being rescued
• actions typically taken after rescue from water is completed: monitoring condition of rescued person, provision of after care, contact with emergency services to relay conditions of casualties, rescue debriefing and reporting requirements
• formats and inclusions of written incident reports.

Foundation skills

• Reading: interpret detailed familiar organisational procedures for rescues and emergency response.
• Writing: use fundamental sentence structure to record accurate factual information about rescue responses in template incident reports.
• Oral communication: use clear and unambiguous verbal and non-verbal communications to make intent known.
• Self-management: critically analyse all circumstances and implications to provide a prompt and considered rescue response.

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Questions about assessing SISCAQU020