Kevin Moran in the NZ Listener Magazine

Our very own Kevin Moran contributed to this NZ Listener article this month. Have a read.

How to stay water safe this summer

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland, the lead agency for water safety coordination and education in the Auckland region, wants to share its four main messages to remember this summer.

Sadly, in 2017 22 people died in preventable drowning incidents in Auckland, double that of 2016. Most (68%) of the drownings in Auckland were male, and almost a quarter (23%) each were aged 15-24 years and over 65 years. 

Over half (55%) of the drownings were immersion incidents where people hadn’t intended being in the water. The highest environmental risk in Auckland is beaches where almost one quarter (23%) of drownings occurred. The rate of drowning in the Auckland region at (1.7 per capita) remains one of the lowest in the country. [1]

There have been 12 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the year to December 7, 2018, as per the Water Safety New Zealand report.

Our vision is an Auckland, free from drowning, achieved through the development of water competence and changing knowledge, attitudes and behaviours around water.

The four main messages we suggest all Aucklander’s remember this summer are:

1. Don’t putyour life on the line, wear a LIFEJACKET.
   Lifejackets are essential for all recreational activities on the water. Everyone on board a boat 6 metres and under should wear a lifejacket. Make sure the lifejacket fits you correctly. Adults wearing lifejackets in front of the children sets a good example.
   
   
2. Reach me, See me, Hear me.
   Active supervision of children at all times is crucial to prevent drownings from happening. Active supervision means children are within sight and reach and the supervisor isn’t distracted. Add other layers of protection such as pool fences and gates or eliminating the risk by emptying paddling pools after use.
   Chief executive of Drowning Prevention Auckland, Davin Bray has said “drowning is silent – there is no splash or scream to alert you. As a father I know how quickly things can happen with children, who are inquisitive and naturally drawn to water”.
   
   
3. Don’t underestimate the risks, don’t overestimate your ability
   Know your limits. Don’t assume your level of competence in the pool is the same in moving, cold open water.
   
   
4. 4Rs Bystander Rescue = Recognise, Respond, Rescue,Revive.
   Recognise: Drowning occurs quietly so its important to recognise when someone is in trouble. Look for signs of distress,like they can’t swim or they look afraid or like they are struggling. Shout“Are you ok”. Ask yourself how you think you can help. Also think, how can others help.
   Respond: If the person needs help, provide flotation. Send for help, get someone to call 111 and ask for police.
   Rescue: Rescuing from land is the safest. Getting in the water puts the rescuer at risk of drowning themselves. If there is no other option, remember to take a flotation aid. Stay clear of the person – a drowning person can easily drag you under. Often reassurance and encouragement to kick, float on their back or swim to safety can work.
   Revive: Provide care to rescued person. If the person is unresponsive and not breathing normally start CPR. If breathing, keep airway clear and put in recovery position. Stay until help arrives. Ensure the person gets medical attention.

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

[1] WSNZ (2018). Drownbase. New Zealand and Auckland Region Preventable and Non Preventable Drowning Fatalities 2013-2017.

Press Release: Drowning Prevention Auckland launches brand new website and a New Zealand first eLearning platform

06/12/2018

Westhaven, Auckland – Drowning Prevention Auckland with 360 New Zealand’s expertise have developed a New Zealand first eLearning platform for water safety and have updated their website. The online programme allows participants to learn about the basic water competencies from anywhere in the world, free of charge.

The aim of our eLearning platform is to increase the understanding and knowledge of water safety, as well as assist in the development of practical skills, within the community, workplace and school. Participants can acquaint themselves with competencies before practising in a pool or open water. The area of focus for this online programme has enormous potential as it is designed to suit a range of participants.  The current eLearning programme is designed for teenagers, adults, parents and educators.

We captured video footage in three separate water environments – controlled water, open water and moving water. The eLearning platform has modules relating to the unique 15 water competencies as per research conducted by Stallman, R.K., Moran, K., Quan, L., & Langendorfer, S. (2017). Learners can complete a variety of tasks within each module. The tasks have student activities, teaching resources and videos that demonstrate the competency.

The interactive platform allows for sustainable learning, overall consistency of education and a free online tool accessible to all.

The eLearning platform is a sustainable form of aquatic education accessible to many people; whilst not replacing practical learning. It is another tool that aids in drowning prevention education. Drowning Prevention Auckland will continue to develop this online learning experience by including further resources and guides that link to the 15 water competencies.

Drowning Prevention Auckland’s Chief Executive; Davin Bray says that the eLearning platform has been a lot of work in the making and is glad that it has culminated in a New Zealand first. He continues to say there are so many benefits to the platform including the fact that we can educate so many more people with our consistent messages.

For further questions, please contact: samantha@dpanz.org.nz

WATER SAFETY NEW ZEALAND MASTERS SCHOLARSHIP

This scholarship is attached to a Water Safety New Zealand funded study that is focused on understanding how different factors contribute to drowning risk for different individuals and groups and aims to ensure the water safety sector can:

• design interventions that will result in meaningful change to a person’s behaviour that will lower their drowning risk
• target interventions at the individuals who we have identified as at highest risk of drowning.

Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research in relation to targeted communities or groups who have a specific risk profile. Therefore, research on risk should be considered within the context of the specific environment or communities of interest.

Communities of Interest

For the purposes of this research, Water Safety New Zealand are interested in research on People and Prevention within the Auckland or Northland region. The research topic should include one of the following communities of interest:

People

• Males aged 45+ with an emphasis in Northland on males aged 65+ years
• Pacific People
• Maori
• New migrants, tourists and visitors to New Zealand

Environments

• Salt water environments Beaches, Offshore and Tidal waters
• Home pools

Activities

• Immersion incidents (incidents where the deceased never intended on getting into the water),
• Powered boats, swimming and underwater activities (diving) are the most common activities.

The research project will be supervised by Dr Denise Atkins – Email: denise.atkins@aut.ac.nz and Dr Matt Barker email: mbarker@aut.ac.nz – School of Sport and Recreation.

APPLICATION PROCESS

Applicants must meet the eligibility criteria as set out in the Scholarship Regulations and apply online via the application portal available from the AUT Scholarships database www.aut.ac.nz/scholarships

Closing date: 18 January 2019

Water Safety Champions Awards 2018

Our Water Safety Champion Awards, recognising organisations, community groups and individuals that have demonstrated commitment, initiative and leadership in the ‘championing’ of water safety education in the Auckland region. This could include delivering water safety education, creating or implementing solutions that address specific behaviours or problems, or raise awareness around a specific drowning issue.

Congratulations to all that got nominated, were finalists and winners of the Water Safety Champion Awards this year.

Individual Water Safety Champion           

Finalists

• David Zhu
  In this past year David has contributed to water safety in the following ways:
  – Collaborated with DPA on various water safety programs and presentations focussed the North Shore Chinese community. These presentations included Rock Fishing seminars, mum and kids water safety workshops, learn to surf and he helped us deliver our west coast experience to Chinese youth.
  – David also helped us interpreting to the Chinese community
• Gill Bloxham
  Gill has been instrumental in improving both her students at Rutherford college’s knowledge and understanding about water safety but also the community.
  In order to get the school pool used more she also asked DPA to train her junior sports committee so she could use both junior and senior sports committee members to supervise free swimming at lunchtimes at the school.
  Gill has been instrumental in a number of her students getting qualified with their PLPC during the school holidays through the Gateway programme. All in the hopes of making opening the school pool to the community over the summer months a possibility and using students as lifeguards to lead this.
• Kaleb Cave
  Kaleb is the Manukau Cruising Clubs new Fishing Captain this year and he comes with a passion at getting kids outdoors with their families and into fishing .
  Kaleb’s key message is keeping our tamariki safe , healthy and happy and is a champion in promoting water safety around land based fishing .
  He is also actively promotes water safety in his land based fishing excursions with adult groups.
• Geoffrey Bray
  Sgt Geoff Bray of the NZ Police National Dive Squad has been active in drowning prevention for over eight years.
  He spends a huge amount of his personal time volunteering assisting charities and community members with river safety training. You can find him on his days off helping out at Vector Wero, giving advice to staff and to other stakeholders across the region.
  He also is on the global board (voluntary) for the International Technical Rescue Association and an instructor for this organisation. He is active in talking to fellow divers about diver safety which actively contributes to drowning prevention.

Winner: Geoffrey Bray

Community Water Safety Champion

Finalists

• AUT Millennium
  AUT Millennium is one of the biggest providers of water safety education in Auckland. Our Schools Water Safety, Waterwise and Learn to Swim Programmes are predominantly populated by local North Shore schools, and the School EOTC Activity Days, which includes the Water Safety programme, is extended to schools across wider Auckland.
  They are the largest provider of Coastguards “Safe Boating Program” in NZ
• John Walker Find Your Field of Dreams
  Established in 2008 Community Swim has provided over 1,000,000 free swim lessons throughout primary schools in Auckland South. The goal of the Community Swim Programme is to enable all children to develop the basic life skill of swimming and to realize the opportunities that await them when the door to the world of aquatics is opened. Community Swim takes away barriers teachers and schools face in providing basic yet essential swimming and water safety skills. Students are picked up from school in the Community Swim buses and driven to one of our pools in south and east Auckland, where they receive seven swimming lessons.
• Harbour Sport
  Harbour Sports ActivAsian program has contributed to water safety in the Auckland region in a number of ways in the past year.
  Collaborated with DPA on various water safety programs and presentations focussed the North Shore Chinese community. These presentations included Rock Fishing seminars, mum and kids water safety workshops, learn to surf and he helped us deliver our west coast experience to Chinese youth.
  They have also helped us interpreting to the Chinese community
• Manukau Cruising Club
  The Manukau Cruising Club promote water safety consistently. The club is not only advocates but influencer’s in making a difference in sailing, boating, fishing and other water activities.
  There key initiatives are:
  – Water Safety Knowledge
  – Understanding Risk
  – Survival Skills
  – Parents Improving their knowledge
  – Ensuring Life Jackets are a key component for safety in our water activities
  – Supporting water safety initiatives

Winner: Manukau Cruising Club

Long Service Water Safety Champion

Finalists

• Karla McCaughan
  Karla has been involved in the aquatics industry for 30 years. She lives and breathes swimming and water safety and is passionate about drowning prevention, especially in the Under-5 age group. She has developed several programmes that work towards achieving zero drowning in this age group by the year 2020. She recently entered into a partnership with Plunket Auckland with the goal of providing free basic water safety education to all Auckland preschoolers. To date, they have delivered to over 75,000 children, with a target of 100,000 by the end of 2017. In 2000 she established a boutique Swim School called Little Dippers that has successfully taught over 20,000 Northland children to swim
• Ian Ferguson
  Ian Ferguson is a household name, thanks to his impressive Olympic gold winning endeavours at Kayaking. What is not so well recognised, was his dream and passion in creating Vector Wero whitewater park. Now retired, he can be proud of this legacy of this world class facility. It would be nice to see him recognised for his significant contribution to creating a space that actively reduces drowning through education.

Winner: Ian Ferguson

Auckland drowning fatalities YTD

There has been 12  preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the year to November 27, 2020, reports Water Safety New Zealand. 

There were 17 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the 2019 year, reports WSNZ. 

There were 13 preventable* drowning deaths in Auckland in the 2018 year; reports WSNZ. 79% of these preventable drownings were male. 21% were 15-24 year olds and 36% of them were from the 65+ age group. 64% of these drownings were at beaches.

In 2017 22 people died in preventable drowning incidents in Auckland, double that of the 2016 number. 68% of the drownings in Auckland are males and 23% each from the 15-24 age group and the 65+ age group.

Immersion incidents had the highest activity drowning percentage at 55%. Beaches had the highest environmental percentage at 23%. The rate of drowning in the Auckland region at (1.7 per capita) remains one of the lowest in the country.