This film was put together by Bradford Grammar School Film Society and the Wyke Amateur Lifesaving and Swimming Club. The film gives demonstrations and reconstructions about how to save a person from drowning.  The footage is taken in both slow motion and at real speed. Information in this film includes techniques on how to secure a grip around a person in the water, towing the person safely to shore, and procedures on how to carry out artificial respiration in and out of the water. Title –...

This film was put together by Bradford Grammar School Film Society and the Wyke Amateur Lifesaving and Swimming Club. The film gives demonstrations and reconstructions about how to save a person from drowning.  The footage is taken in both slow motion and at real speed. Information in this film includes techniques on how to secure a grip around a person in the water, towing the person safely to shore, and procedures on how to carry out artificial respiration in and out of the water. Title – Bradford Grammar School Film Society and Wyke Amateur Lifesaving and Swimming Club presents “Whomsoever You See…” In the countryside a family is sitting in an open field.  A teenage boy is sitting with the family, and he is chewing a piece of grass.  Across the field the boy sees a flowing river and walks away from the family to the river bank.  The boy picks up a few stones and skims them along the surface of the water. The boy sees a flask floating in the water.  He walks close to the water’s edge, holding on to the branches of the tree to get closer to where the flask is floating.  The boy climbs over a tree limb and holds on to it as he leans over the water to grab the flask.  He loses his grip of the tree and slips off the tree limb into the water. The boy splashes about in the water.  The family in the field notice the boy in the water and begin to point and run down to the river.  The boy splashes frantically in the water as a woman tries to jump in after him, but is pulled out by a man. The boy splashing in the water is dragged by the currents of the river towards the rocky water fall.  The family run along the river bank to the rocky water fall where the boy is swept up by the water and is carried away.  The family watch as the boy is dragged down the river.  Two of the women comfort each other with a hug as the boys limp, lifeless body floats down the river.  The flask drifts down the water fall.  (Fade to black.) VO – This need never have happened. With a small amount of training, anyone could have saved the boy’s life.  Everyone should know the basic principles of life-saving.  Two lives could be lost if a would-be rescuer does not know how to relieve himself from the grip of a drowning person and how to tow him back to safety. Title – Release from Grip Round the Body.  Demonstrations in a swimming pool and gym. VO – First some methods of release.  Here the subject has seized the rescuer around the body enclosing his arms.  The rescuer takes hold of the subject, placing his hands between the subject’s waist and armpits.  He then takes a deep breath forces his elbows outwards and upwards and slides out of the grip by submerging with his chin tucked well into his shoulder.  Here is the release in slow motion, and finally at normal speed. Title – Release from Grip Round the Neck. VO – If the subject grips the rescuer around the neck, the rescuer should place his left hand in the small of the subject’s back and bring his right hand up outside the subject’s arm.  With the heel of his hand under the chin he grips the subject’s nose between his out stretched fingers he then pulls with his left hand to bring the subject towards and underneath him so that the thrust on the chin forces the subject under water.  If this release is to be successful the drowning person must be forced under water where he will quickly release his grip. Title – Release from Double Wrist Grip. VO – Here the subject has gripped the rescuers left wrist with both hands. With his free hand the rescuer reaches across and pushes the subject’s outer wrist down at the same time swinging his right leg up onto the subject’s shoulder. By holding the subject’s wrist firmly and straightening his leg the rescuer can break the hold and spin the subject round into a towing position before the drowning man has time to get hold of the rescuers head or neck. Title – Release from Back Stranglehold. VO – A lifesaver should never allow a drowning person to seize him from behind, but if this happens and he is gripped around the neck and shoulders, the rescuer should put one hand over the subject’s wrist and the other under his elbow.  The rescuer ducks under the subject’s armpit and carries the arm around the subject’s back keeping it there until he is in a towing position.  And again at normal speed. Title – Release from Rear Waist Hold. VO – If the rescuer is grabbed around the waist from behind he should, as always, react quickly before the subject has time to realise what is happening.  Reaching back over his head he takes hold of the subject by the hair or the head if this is possible he then takes a deep breath bends forward and pulls the subject right over his head.  All these releases must be followed at once by the correct towing technique or else the subject may lose confidence and start struggling again. Title – Towing Methods – Unigrip Head Carry. VO – This method leaves one of the rescuers arms free for swimming while the other holds the subject under the chin. If the subject struggles then the free arm can be placed underneath his armpit with the fingers taking a firm grip of his shoulder.  If further restraint is required the rescuer makes use of the subject’s own natural reaction to having his air supply cut off and continues in a new towing position with one hand again free for swimming.  Here the subject struggles and is restrained by the shoulder grip.  When he struggles again the rescuer closes his nose with finger and thumb and covers his mouth with the palm of the hand the subject pulls it away keeps hold of the rescuers arm and is rest firmly across his chest. Title – Two-Handed Head Carry. VO – In this method the rescuer takes hold of the subject’s head between his hands with his outstretched fingers pointing upwards on the side of the subject’s face. The rescuer should keep his elbows pulled well in and use his forearms to support the subject whose head should lie close to the rescuers chin. Title – Hip Carry. VO – By passing his arm over the subject’s shoulder and gripping him in the armpit the rescuer can swim on his side and support the subject with his hip.  He should keep his elbows camped firmly down on the subject’s chest. Title Clothes, chin or hair Carry. VO – The side stroke is used again in this method which can be kept up over long distances. The rescuer can tow the subject by the hair or by gripping his clothing or by placing his hand underneath the subject’s chin. Title – Two-Handed Chest Carry. VO – Here the rescuer places his hands high on the subject’s chest with his thumbs resting upon the subject’s collarbone.  The rescuer raises his elbows to support the subject’s arms at right angles to his body and swims with the leg strokes only. Title – Two-Handed Arm Carry. VO – A struggling or twisting subject can be held firmly if the rescuer grips the subject’s arms above the elbows holds them at shoulder level and tucks his own elbows well into his side to obtain a ridged tow. Title – Double Shoulder Hook. VO – To use this method the rescuer passes his arms under the subject’s armpits and hooks his fingers over the subject’s shoulders again the rescuers elbows should be well tucked into his side. Title – Tired Swimmer Carry. VO – A lifesaver can help a tired swimmer by asking the swimmer to place his hands upon the rescuers shoulders close to the neck and to lie back in the water keeping his arms straight. The rescuer then uses breast stroke to propel the subject along in front of him. If it is necessary to turn the rescuer reaches under the subject’s inner arm and holds the outer arm lightly continuing to swim strongly with the other hand. The patient must be ready to cooperate if this method is to succeed. Title – Artificial Respiration. VO – If after rescuing it is discovered that the patient has stopped breathing, the lifesaver must act as quickly as possible to save the subject’s life.  Speed is essential.  Here using the mouth to mouth method.  The operator quickly inflates the patient’s lungs several times to give a rapid build-up of oxygen in the patient’s blood. Animated diagrams of head and respiratory system. VO – But the kiss of life will only work properly if a number of precautions are taken. This diagram shows the normal position of the tong in the conscious person. When a man is lying unconscious the tongue can fall back and block the passage of air to the lungs. But if the head is tipped back as far as possible the air passage is forced open, and so before artificial respiration takes place, the patient’s head must be tipped back from this position to this position.  After the first few breaths the patient’s lungs will begin to inflate at the rate of about twelve times a minute.  With children the rate is quicker and inflation more gentle.  This method works because the body does not use all the oxygen contained in the lung full of air and the air we breathe out will still keep a man alive. Demonstration. VO – In this demonstration the head is first tipped back into position.  If the operator then breaths into the patient’s mouth, the nose must be firmly sealed with the cheek or nipped between finger and thumb.  If he uses the nose, then the mouth must be kept closed.  An advantage of this method is that it can be carried out almost anywhere as by example as the rescuer is swimming with an unconscious person.  Here one practices the method and the operator leans beyond the patient’s face and concentrates on turning his own head as he takes another breath to watch the patient’s chest so that he can be sure that his air is reaching the patient’s lungs.  If the patient starts to vomit this obstruction must be quickly removed by turning him to one side, lowering his head as far as possible and clearing his mouth and throat then under visual respiration is continued until medical help arrives.  Although the kiss of life is the best method of artificial respiration there are certain cases when it cannot be used. For example if there are facial injuries on the patient or contamination by poison around the mouth. Title – The Holger Nielsen Method. VO – The Holger Nielsen Method is an affective manual system of resuscitation.  In it the patient is first laid face downwards with the side of his head resting on the backs of his hands.  The operator kneels at the head of the patient with one foot outside his elbow he places his hands upon the patient’s shoulder blades and gently rocks forward keeping his arms straight and exerting a smooth even pressure causing expiration.  Then he rocks back gliding his hands along the patient’s arms and lifts them near the elbow to induce inspiration.  As in the kiss of life the whole sequence should last five to six seconds.  The patient’s head and body must not be moved or lifted during the sequence.  The operator can however change the position of his own legs during the lifting of the arms as he does so in two stages as shown.  When breathing normally the patient should be turned over onto his back.  The operator extends the patient’s arm on the turning side to cushion the head during the turn and uses his own knee as a half way support protecting the patient’s head with his hand. The boy walks close to the water’s edge, holding on to the branches of the tree to get closer to where the flask is floating.  The boy climbs over a tree limb and holds on to it as he leans over the water to grab the flask. VO – At any time you may be the only person near enough to give help to someone in difficulty.  If you know what to do when faced with an emergency, you may save a life instead of standing by helplessly or of losing your own life in a glorious but futile attempt at a rescue. The boy loses his grip of the tree and slips off the tree limb into the water.  He splashes frantically in the water and is dragged by the currents of the river towards the rocky water fall. Two men walking along the river bank and spot the boy in the water.  The men run towards the river, and one of the men takes his jacket off before entering the water and swimming to the drowning boy.  The rescuer takes a grip of the boy and starts artificial respiration in the water before towing him in a two-handed head carry.  The man struggles to help the boy out of the water.  Once he places the boy on the river bank, he continues the mouth to mouth artificial resuscitation.  (Fade to black.) VO – Whomsoever you see in distress, recognise in him a fellow man. Title – The End.