Police defend drowning death case

[threaded]

People die trying rescue others..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/3551054.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6921516.stm

Unless you are trained and are a strong swimmer, don't jump in.

I'm a qualified lifesaver and I would think twice before trying it - basic 1st aid states don't risk your life if there's danger.

Hard-nosed but that's life...

True, there's risk and then there's risk. Yet, I feel you're playing devils advocate here. I've known you sort out people panicking in black water / with a duff regulator.

So, oh do come on Jacko, I know you well enough that you'll have run down and between the take off and before hitting the water you'll have worked out the dangers, worked out how to limit them, and have a fully worked out plan about what to do to minimise the risk to everyone, even considered what the cowardly planks stood on the bank playing with themselves might do to screw things up.

threaded in 'bronze medalion' mode

[Board Game Geek]

What a cop out.

I'd rather die trying than to watch some poor young kid drown.

I hope most people would jump in with instinct not have to do a risk assement first ! 

This reminds me of a question i was asked at Air Training Cadets in 1984 (when I was 16 years old)

The question was :

"You are walking in your local high street. Suddenly you hear a loud noise and look up. You notice a 747 attempting to land in your high street. What do you do?"

Answers varied from :

"Wait till it stops, then help the evacuees"
"Try and slow it down"
"Call The Police"
"Call the Fire Brigade"

My answer was"...

"Seek cover and not include my prescence as another meaningless statistic"

When the C/O said "That sound's pretty heartless", I replied to the Warrant Officer,

"Once my personal safety is assured, THEN I can help others and not be a liability to the rescue services".


I don't think the C/O liked me after that.

However, everyone else in the scenario died or was mutilated. Except me. Which is why I think the C/O got the arseache.

To go back to the kid in the river....I would have made a snap decision.

Can I swim ? Yes
Any other Danger to My Life ? <Quick visual check of the area> No...then Go For It

What is the difficulty in assessing that ? (I could do the Visual Check whilst I was breast-stroking to him, tbh :-)


Cojak : 100% agree and you are quite correct.

EO : Wrong ^ 10.

[pisces]

Typical reaction to selective press reporting

By the time the PCSO's got there the boy could not be seen. Would any of you jump in dangerous water where somebody had just drowned when there was no sign of them being alive and you didn't even know where they were?

No, thought not.

[xoggoth]

Isn't it relevent that they could not see him? Maybe standing on the bank and really trying to spot him was the sensible thing.

[Troll]

People die trying rescue others..

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/cumbria/3551054.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/sussex/6921516.stm

Unless you are trained and are a strong swimmer, don't jump in.

I'm a qualified lifesaver and I would think twice before trying it - basic 1st aid states don't risk your life if there's danger.

Hard-nosed but that's life...

Bollocks

[sunnysan]

Bollox x 2

Its a pond... not 10 foot surf pounding onto jagged rocks.

If the boy went down there would have been a good chance that even though submerged he would still be alive. I can understand any attempt not to rescue him if there had been factors such as treacherous currents, heavy swell,submerged rocks or wreckages or arctic conditions , but these are not really relevant in a pond in the UK in autumn.

If there had been 10 people drowning then yes, there may be a risk of being pulled under, but 1 adolecsent boy? Cmon FFS

If they saw where he went down then yes, they should have jumped in.

Not knowing all the facts its difficult to make an assessment of what the CSO's shoudl have done. If they couldnt swim then yes, dont go in the water but if they could and they saw where they guy went down I think an attempt shoudl have been made

FFS, anybody here who can swim who would not even attempt to rescue the boy considering these factors is a sorry excuse.

My only exception would be if it was GB or TB. I could live with the guilt trust me :-)

[xoggoth]

Last point seconded. Actually if I saw somebody drowning I would make them fill out a questionaire before jumping in just to make sure they were not a politician/taxman or some useless civil servant.

[threaded]

Oh no, irrespective of who they are, they are human, so you should save them.

Throw them back in afterwards by all means.

[xoggoth]

Taxmen/politicians are human? Not in my book. Anyway throwing them back would get you into trouble. Easier to just pretend not to notice.

[Churchill]

Cojak

my respect for the little guy who lost his life is immeasurable. my respect for you is close to zero.

That's because you're looking at this from an emotional point of view, not from a logical one.

Jacko is a trained life saver. She is qualified to make the assessment.

Anyway, enough of that. She's big enough to look after herself.