Glossary
Emergency action plan
A written plan for who does what in a water emergency: who watches, who calls 911, where the rescue gear is.
An emergency action plan is a short, written plan that says exactly who does what if someone gets into trouble in the water. Pools, camps, schools and families all benefit from one, because in an emergency people freeze or assume someone else has it handled.
The National Drowning Prevention Alliance (opens in a new tab) lists emergency preparation as one of five layers of protection: CPR training with rescue breaths, basic water rescue skills, and a phone ready to call 911. A useful plan follows the American Red Cross (opens in a new tab) chain of drowning survival and covers:
- who is the Water Watcher right now;
- who calls 911, and the exact address and cross street to give;
- where the reaching pole, ring buoy, phone, first aid kit and any AED are kept;
- who meets the ambulance and who looks after other children;
- checking the water first if a child is missing.
Post it where everyone can see it and practice once a season. Our Water Emergency Action Plan is a fill-in template. See how to write a water emergency action plan.
What you can do today: write your address and nearest cross street on a card and tape it by your pool or back door.