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From: <Bhansen97_at_aol.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] risky rescues
Date: Mon, 8 Nov 1999 10:46:29 EST
John Winters makes the excellent observation that: "the object of life saving 
is saving
lives not risking your own life. Two casualties don't make a rescue."

Reading that statement reminds me of a rescue course I took a few years ago. 
The instructor said that when performing a rescue the priority was "me (the 
rescuer) first, me second, the victim third, and everybody else fourth". 

When I heard that I thought "What a callous and inappropriate approach to 
rescue". After a while it percolated through that the whole point was exactly 
what John Winters has written. Two victims (or casualites) don't make a 
rescue. That, and the presumption that the rescuer has taken some precaution 
to put others out of harm's way before undertaking the rescue in the first 
place.

Bill Hansen
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From: Steve Cramer <cramer_at_coe.uga.edu>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] risky rescues
Date: Mon, 08 Nov 1999 11:23:53 -0500
Bhansen97_at_aol.com wrote:
> 
> John Winters makes the excellent observation that: "the object of life saving
> is saving
> lives not risking your own life. Two casualties don't make a rescue."
> 
> Reading that statement reminds me of a rescue course I took a few years ago.
> The instructor said that when performing a rescue the priority was "me (the
> rescuer) first, me second, the victim third, and everybody else fourth".
> 
At a recent rescue course we sponsored, the priorities were: (1) you,
(2) other members of the rescue team, (3) the victim, and (4) gear.

"Don't create another victim" is very good advice. It's often not very
good TV, of course.

Steve
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