Oxygen First Aid For Aquatic Emergencies

Every year more than 4,000 Americans die from drowning and many more suffer from near-drowning events.
According to the 1998 National Sporting Goods Association (NSGA) Annual Sports Participation Survey, 58.2 million Americans participated more than once in swimming during the year. The same study identified nearly 30 million people who participated in power boating, sailing, kayaking, rafting or canoeing.

For nearly a decade, DAN has preached the benefits of providing oxygen to injured scuba divers. During that time more than 80,000 people worldwide have been trained in this first aid skill. In March of 1999, DAN Services, Inc., a wholly owned for-profit subsidiary of Divers Alert Network, launched the Oxygen First Aid for Aquatic Emergencies (Aquatics) program.

Its goal is to extend the life-saving skills of oxygen first aid to people who live and play in and around water. Providing high concentrations of oxygen to near-drowning victims in the first few minutes after rescue can prevent serious or even fatal complications.

Course Objective

This course, Oxygen First Aid for Aquatic Emergencies, or Aquatic Oxygen Provider, represents training designed to educate the public to recognize possible aquatic related injuries and to provide emergency oxygen first aid while activating the local emergency medical services (EMS) and / or arranging for evacuation to the nearest medical facility.

Recommended Minimum Hours of Training

Knowledge Development: The Oxygen First Aid for Aquatic Emergencies Student Handbook and video are designed for student self-study. If an Instructor elects to present the knowledge development section as a lecture, it is strongly recommended that the video and training slides be used to supplement the lecture.

Self-Study: 2 Hours
Lecture: 1 Hour
Skills Development: 3 Hours

It is recommended that this course be taught as a four-hour module. The time it actually takes to teach the course varies depending upon many factors including the number of students and their ability to master the information and skills. Instructors desiring to include subjects or training beyond the course requirements may do so only before or following the course. Any additional training must not be required for completion of course requirements.

Learning Objectives

Participants must demonstrate mastery of the following objectives to successfully complete the course:

• Describe the role and function of the cardiac and respiratory systems in the human body
• Identify and describe the major causes of aquatic accidents
• Describe the mechanisms of drowning
• Describe the benefits to the victim of using oxygen first aid

Skill Performance Objectives

Participants must demonstrate mastery of the following objectives to successfully complete the course:

• Demonstrate the set up and use of the emergency oxygen equipment used in this course
• Demonstrate rescue breathing and one-rescuer CPR
• Identify the indications for supplemental oxygen first aid use
• Demonstrate the first aid response of a non-breathing swimmer with a pulse
• Demonstrate the first aid response for a non-breathing swimmer with no pulse
• Demonstrate the first aid response for a breathing swimmer
• Demonstrate the first aid response for a swimmer who stops brething during care

Complete Training Schedule