If you see someone drowning, first call for people and dial 110/120 (China's police and ambulance numbers), reach with a pole or throw something that floats, and don't go into the water yourself
- High value
- Evidence C
- Buys life
- Free
- Takes minutes
- Some willpower
In a real emergency, call 911 first, then read this.
In plain words
First shout for people and dial 110/120 (China's police and ambulance numbers), hold out a pole or throw something that floats from the shore, and don't go into the water yourself. Once the person is out of the water, if they don't respond and aren't breathing normally, start CPR at once. People who are trained should give both chest compressions and rescue breaths. If you don't know how, can't or are unwilling to give breaths, keep pressing the chest and follow the emergency dispatcher's instructions.
- Cost
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Free. The hard part is holding back the urge to jump in.
- What you get
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WHO: about 300,000 (30ไธ) people drown each year worldwide, 92% of them in low- and middle-income countries. Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4, and the third for ages 5 to 14. WHO's recommended intervention is "training in safe rescue and resuscitation," such as first learning rescues that don't involve entering the water. First shout for people and call 110/120, then hold out a long pole or rope from the shore, or throw a life ring, an empty bucket or another floating object. The 2025 first aid guidelines of the International Red Cross state that rescuers should stay out of the water where possible: reach from the shore or a boat with something rigid (such as a pole or a branch), or throw a rope or something that floats. The rescuer should not touch a drowning person who is struggling, because of the danger of being pulled into the water. Anyone already in the water to help must know the water conditions and bring something that floats. If the person is pulled out unresponsive and not breathing normally, start CPR at once. The 2024 drowning resuscitation guidance of the American Heart Association and American Academy of Pediatrics stresses that cardiac arrest from drowning is usually caused by severe lack of oxygen. Trained rescuers should combine rescue breaths with chest compressions. When you don't know how, can't or are unwilling to give rescue breaths, keep pressing the chest until rescuers arrive. When you call for emergency help, use the speaker and follow the dispatcher's instructions
- Notes
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Graded C because "don't go into the water" is only a recommended practice in the International Red Cross guidelines, with no comparison study or figures. Don't link hands in a chain and go in; this is the author's inference from "don't go into the water." If you have no training, don't try to drag the person, because you may be pulled under by someone who is struggling. "Don't go in the water" is again a self-protecting rule: the person who goes in drowns too, and it makes no difference who the one in the water is. The person you actually have to save is mostly your own child, and how to prevent that is in ยง1.12 (keep children in sight near water). If someone falls through a hole in the ice, likewise don't run onto the ice to pull them; for preventing ice accidents see ยง1.41 (measure the thickness of outdoor ice first).
- Evidence grade
- C : The author's experience or common practice, without direct literature.
- Sources
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- WHO. Drowning: fact sheet [in Chinese]. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drowning
- International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (2025). International First Aid, Resuscitation and Education Guidelines 2025, pages 214โ215: "An attempted rescue by first aid providers should be made without entering the water, either from land or a boat, by reaching with something rigid (e.g. a pole or tree branch), or by throwing a rope or buoyant object. Providers should not touch an actively drowning person because of the risk of being pulled into the water". https://www.ifrc.org/sites/default/files/2026-03/IFRC%20International%20First%20Aid,%20Resuscitation%20and%20Education%20Guidelines%202025.pdf
- American Heart Association / American Academy of Pediatrics (2024). Highlights of the 2024 Focused Update on Resuscitation Following Drowning, pages 3โ4. https://www.heart.org/-/media/CPR-Files/CPR-Guidelines-Files/Highlights/2024_Drowning/Hghlghts_2024GLFU_Drowning_240927.pdf
Mentioned in
- Before stepping onto wild ice, drill a hole and measure the thickness; don't go on if it is under 15 cm, and stay off river ice and the edges of ice-fishing holes
- Before going down into a septic tank, manhole, sewage pit, vegetable cellar, fermentation tank or similar confined space, ventilate it first, get a passing gas test, and put protection and a watcher in place; if you can't, don't go in. If someone collapses inside, don't follow them down; call 119 (China's fire emergency number) and 120 (China's ambulance number)
Translated from the Chinese original. Original book, section 13, tip 25. Content may be out of date and rules differ by place. When you actually deal with an agency, a doctor or a court, follow what local officials, doctors and lawyers tell you. Disclaimer