Surface Water Rescue
What this domain covers
Surface water rescue covers still or flat water - pools, lakes, ponds, slow rivers, and floodwater - where current is not the dominant hazard. Swiftwater is a separate domain. The exam tests rescue priorities, PFD selection, cold-water physiology, and shore-based technique.
The priority ladder
Reach, throw, row, go, helicopter. Each step down the ladder increases rescuer risk:
- Reach: pole, paddle, ladder, anything rigid, from a stable position.
- Throw: throw bag or ring buoy, with the rescuer braced and belayed if near the edge.
- Row: boat with a trained operator; never overload it.
- Go: a trained, suited, tethered rescuer enters only when the earlier options fail.
- Helicopter: when available and the situation warrants the delay.
Equipment and physiology
USCG-approved PFDs are now labeled by performance level (50, 70, 100, 150) rather than the old Type I–V scheme; Type IV throwables remain a distinct device class. Cold water follows the 1-10-1 rule: roughly one minute of cold-shock hyperventilation, about ten minutes of useful movement, and roughly one hour before unconsciousness. The HELP position and huddling conserve heat. A drowning person often cannot call out or wave.
Worked example
A swimmer is 40 ft off a dock, going under repeatedly. The correct plan: throw a ring buoy on a line from the dock with the rescuer braced and low, keep verbal contact, and enter only with a PFD, thermal protection, and a tether if the throw fails. Jumping in first is the failing answer.
Traps
Treating a Type IV throwable as wearable. Entering without a PFD. Applying spinal motion restriction to a combative, breathing patient in deep water when it endangers both of you.