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It was in the news recently that two Police Community Support Officers
(PCSO) stood by a pond while a boy was drowning, and wouldn't go in because
it contraviened health & safety rules. Obviously this sparked outrage with
the press and with the parents of the boy concerned etc (the boy didn't
survive by the way). Now, I can kind of see why they didn't go in to the
water, especially given that they hadn't been trained in water rescue etc,
but if it was me, or many others I'm sure, the Health & Safety rules would
go out of the window. It's a very difficult situation to be in, and one
that is hard to judge without it happening to you personally. I don't blame
them for not going in to the water, afterall, not everyone can swim, or at
least not confidently enough to drag a person out with themselves to boot.
There are other factors to consider aswell, the main one in this situation
being that the officers couldn't actually see the boy! What are your
opinions on these sorts of situations? And are Health & Safety rules the
same everywhere nowadays?
Click (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/manchester/7007081.stm) for most
recent news story.
Cliffy
It depends on the situation...If the boy is being pulled down by an
under-current (or something like that), then even the best of swimmers
might not be able to swim out, but in an ordinary pond, I can't see why
they wouldn't go in...I don't understand; if the officers couldn't see the
boy, how did they know he was drowning?
chris_knows
I think they were either responding to the call, or they saw other people
panicking etc.
Cliffy
Can't be in law enforcement here, if you can't swim. Basic water safety
and life saving just part of the requirements.
It's looks like a crowd of people stood around and watched this kid die.
Me, I would have gotten wet.
jcutsh
damn straight
windsonian
That used to be the case here, too, but being able to swim as a requirement
was dropped.
Cliffy
Well if you read the article, it does look like the officers couldn't
really do anything. I'm sure if the boy was visible, and it wasn't level 5
river rapids, anyone would have jumped in and saved the kid, protocol or
not.
Mathew
I agree. My view is that it much depends on the situation. The boy could
actually swim and was attempting to rescue his step-sister I believe, the
problem is it's alot more difficult than a boy of that age could probably
ever imagine, to pull twice your own body weight to the surface, and then
to safety. I'm not a great swimmer, and only learned myself when I was
10-yrs old (which I see as quite old to learn). I certainly would have
jumping in a pond like this one, regardless of the outcome for myself, but
I'd definitely think twice about jumping in the Thames of off a pier and
into the sea!
Cliffy
I agree, but wouldn't it be better to jump in? Not necessarily because it's
my job, but if I'm standing around while a boy is drowning, the guilt would
probably follow me for the rest of my life.
chris_knows
I find it's often better to act and think about it afterwards, lol. I've
never saved a life before, but the theory is the same for other actions
when you have to get stuck in (pissheads fighting etc, lol). I find if you
think about what might happen, or what might result, you end up talking
yourself out of doing something. It's far better to get stuck straight in
and not think too hard about it!
Cliffy
