wear a mask or gloves in the water" to 

 protect themselves from the deadly 

 AIDS virus like land-bound rescue 

 personnel. 



And lifeguards must have one 

 other attribute: eagle eyes. They must 

 always have one eye focused on 

 people in the water and the other on 

 people on the beach. 



What clues a guard that a person 

 is in trouble? 



"They'll have big eyes because 

 they're panicked," Sanderson says. 

 "You'll also notice the pan- 

 icked look on their face. 

 Their head will be back, their 

 feet under them and their 

 arms flailing around. They 

 look like someone trying to 

 climb a ladder." 



In addition to the flail- 

 ing, screaming person, 

 Dabrowski also looks for the 

 "silent victim." These are 

 people who have become 

 exhausted and given up. 



"I look for someone who 

 is floating and continues to float, often 

 with his head in the water," 

 Dabrowski says. "If a person is wav- 

 ing his hands and arms, he's in better 

 shape because his shoulders are still 

 above water. He has some energy 

 left." 



Drowning is really hypoxia — 

 lack of oxygen in the body, particu- 

 larly the lungs and brain. Dr. Mary 

 Eberst, assistant professor of emer- 

 gency medicine at the University of 

 North Carolina, describes two kinds of 

 drowning. 



For some victims, drowning oc- 

 curs when the larynx clamps shut be- 

 cause of the irritation of the water be- 

 ing drawn into the upper part of the 

 airway. This is called dry drowning, 

 and it cuts off oxygen to the lungs, 

 says Eberst. 



In other victims, the lungs fill 

 with water, cutting off air supply to 

 the blood and the brain. This is called 

 wet drowning. Eberst says 80 percent 

 to 90 percent of the people who drown 

 are wet-drowning victims. 



If you are conscious after a res- 

 cue, Eberst says your chances for sur- 

 vival are very good, although you may 

 suffer some lung injury. If you're un- 

 conscious, chances of survival drop 

 significantly, and those who do sur- 

 vive often suffer neurological damage. 



Michael Halminski 



Eberst says lifeguards or rescue 

 personnel have three to five minutes to 

 get victims out of the water and 

 breathing. After that, victims suffer 

 irreversible brain damage or death. 



Most drowning victims are either 

 very young or old, Eberst says. And, 

 she adds, alcohol is often a factor for 

 victims who don't fall into the young 

 or old categories. 



In North Carolina, beach drown- 

 ing statistics supplied by the N.C. 

 Medical Examiners Office in Chapel 

 Hill reveal the following patterns: 

 eight drownings in 1987, 18 in 1988, 

 17 in 1989, 19 in 1990 and 29 in 1991. 

 In this five-year period, 17 of 91, or 

 19 percent of the victims, had blood 

 alcohol levels that would classify 

 them as legally intoxicated. 



To lessen your chances of becom- 



ing a drowning or near-drowning victim, 

 remember these tips, Dabrowski says. 

 Never swim alone. 

 If you get in trouble, don't panic. A 

 panicked person quickly expends valu- 

 able energy that could be used to save 

 his or her life. 



To conserve energy if you're in 

 trouble, float. The salt water will buoy 

 your body upward. Use that buoyancy to 

 keep your head above water so that you 

 can shout for help. 



Learn to swim. If you can't swim, 

 don't get in the water. 



Don't drink too much 

 alcohol before swimming. 

 Alcohol impairs your physi- 

 cal abilities and clouds your 

 judgment. 



And choose a beach with 

 a lifeguard. 



In North Carolina, not all 

 beaches are protected by life- 

 guards. Some municipalities, 

 wanting to offer tourists an 

 amenity that could save their 

 lives, provide or contract 

 with an agency to provide oceanfront 

 rescuers. Others can't afford the service. 

 To compensate, some resort areas, con- 

 dominium complexes and hotels employ 

 their own guards. 



Liability factors into the decision 

 for some municipalities when they're 

 deciding whether to fund a rescue ser- 

 vice. 



"Some city and town governments 

 believe if they don't do anything there 

 will be no liability for them if an acci- 

 dent occurs," Sanderson says. 



But Dare County takes the opposite 

 approach. 



"We're a tourist-oriented recre- 

 ational area and as responsible tenants 

 for that beach, we feel we have to pro- 

 vide responsible lifesaving services," 

 Sanderson says. □ 



COASTWATCH 19 



