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River Safety |
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River
Safety - Throw Bags
Did you know that pool lifeguards are trained to rescue people
without getting into the water? They know that it is much safer
to stay on poolside and use a long pole designed for the purpose.
It's the same on a river except the tool that is designed for this
purpose is called a throw bag.
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| A throw bag is
a nylon bag a bit smaller than a two-litre soft drink bottle.
The rope (which is always a floating type) is attached to
the bag on one end. The rope is then stuffed into the bag
with a short length left sticking out of the open end of the
bag. The rope in a throw bag is usually about 15 - 20 metres
long.
To throw the throw bag you hold onto the end of the rope that
is sticking out of the bag and throw the bag. The rope will
stream out of the bag as it flies towards your target.
The bag has a piece of foam inside so that it still floats
when it reaches the swimmer.
The loop in the swimmer end of the bag is kept small so that
a swimmer will not get their hand stuck in it.
To Use a Throw Bag
- First, on dry land practice, practice, practice.
It is harder than it looks.
- Make sure that you have a good solid stance.
- Aim and plan to land the bag directly at the swimmer.
- Accuracy is the most important thing, if the swimmer
is in trouble, they will not be able to swim for the
bag.
- Throw underhand with a steady motion.
- If you miss, pull in the rope and throw again (you
can choose to re-stuff the bag or just coil the rope
and throw).
When the swimmer has the bag, they hold on to the
loop and lie on their back with the throw bag on their
chest being pulled head first towards the rescuer.
Do not
tie the rope to anything, either
a swimmer, a rescuer or anything on the bank.
use a throw bag in moving water unless you have been
trained how to do it because when the water is moving
ropes can
- hold swimmers under the water
- pull people on the bank into the water
- become entangled with swimmers preventing them
from being able to swim
- become stuck on the riverbed pinning swimmers
in the river.
Make sure there are no sharp and hard objects in
the bag.
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