Water Emergency Action Plan

Drowning is fast and silent. Decide who does what before anyone gets in the water, and follow the four steps in order: Recognize, Reach, Call, Care.

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🆘 The Four Steps — In Order

1. RECOGNIZE. Scan constantly. Trouble is quiet: head low with mouth at water level, glassy or closed eyes, no kicking, no sound. Get the person out the instant you suspect it — don't wait to be sure.
2. REACH or THROW. From a stable spot, extend a pole, paddle, branch, or towel — or throw something that floats (ring buoy, cooler, kickboard). Don't go in unless you are trained.
3. CALL. Shout for help and call 911 the moment you sense trouble. Give your exact address and nearest cross street, say it's a drowning, and put the phone on speaker.
4. CARE. Once out of the water: if trained in CPR, begin right away (rescue breaths matter for drowning). If not, the 911 dispatcher will talk you through it until help arrives.

Reach or throw, don't go. A panicking person can pull an untrained rescuer under — drowning is a leading cause of death for would-be rescuers.
Stay low and braced at the edge so you can't be pulled in.
If you must enter, bring a flotation device to keep between you and the person.
Keep rescue gear stored at the pool — a reaching pole and a ring buoy — so it's there when seconds count.

Name a Water Watcher — one adult watching the kids only, no phone or book — and hand the role off in shifts.
Agree who calls 911 and where their phone is.
Make sure caregivers are CPR-trained — parents, babysitters, and grandparents. Renew about every 2 years.
Everyone knows the address and nearest cross street to give a dispatcher.
Know where the first-aid kit and rescue gear are kept.

Emergency number: 911

Our address: ____________________

Nearest cross street: ____________

Poison control: 1-800-222-1222

Water Watcher on duty: __________

Who calls 911: _________________

Rescue gear located: ____________

CPR cert renewal date: _________