INTERNATIONAL LIFE SAVING FEDERATION Gemeenteplein 26-3010 Leuven - Belgium Tel: (32.16) 35.35.00 - Fax: (32.16) 35.01.02 E-mail: ils.hq@pandora.be Web: http://www.ilsf.org ILS NEWS 2004/01 Introduction The ILS Board and Commission Meetings will be held in Sharm El-Sheik (Egypt) from 16-21 February. The ILS President is delighted by the large number of Counties that will be attending the various Meetings. The ILS staff will be in Egypt for these meeting and therefore ILS headquarters will e closed from 16-20 February. All operations via e-mail will of course continue. Rescue 2004 After months of hard work, the Organising Committee of Rescue 2004 and the Italian Life Saving Federation (FIN-S) are proud to announce that they have reached an agreement with the City of Viareggio, to build a temporary Olympic sized swimming pool at the beach competition grounds for the duration of the World Life Saving Championships. Mr. Crisci, the President of the Local Organising Committee, says that this will make Rescue 2004 unlike any other World Championship in the past, allowing all participants, to compete in the same area for the duration of the event. All preparations for the event are proceeding very well. The Organising Committee assured us that it will be a great experience for everyone. Please check the official website for updates, and information on entries at www.rescue2004.com Lifesaving at Military World Games After the two first editions held in Rome - Italy (1995), Zagreb - Croatia (1999), CISM (the International Military Sports Council) has organised the 3rd Military World Games in Catania from the 4th to the 11th December 2003. Despite the unusual time of year for the organisation of such competitions, and to the late postponement of the Games (from September to the December), 84 Armed Forces and 2,215 athletes have been competing during 1 week in 11 different sports. High level sports (several CISM records were broken at this occasion), Fair-play and Solidarity are the key-words to describe what happen during those 3rd Military World Games. Twelve Nations participated in the lifesaving competitions with both men and women athletes:
Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, United States, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland and Turkey. In total 69 athletes participated from which 23 women and 46 men. launch Australia s largest water safety education programme, Swim and Survive. Klim is the new face of Swim and Survive, the national swimming and water safety programme which has been educating the 5-14 year age group since 1982. The campaign aims to reduce the number of Australian s drowning by ensuring that people have a sound knowledge of how to be safe when in and around water, as well as skills in swimming, personal aquatic survival and basic rescue. Italy won the overall ranking followed by Russia and Canada. More information can be found on the CISM website: www.cism-milsport.org News from our members Conference on hypothermia On 28 February the Royal Life Saving Society United Kingdom - Republic of Ireland Branch is organising a conference on hypothermia in the Astra Hall in Dublin, Ireland. Topics of the conference include: how bodies regulate temperature, clothing and thermoregulation, accidental hypothermia, exposure hypothermia, immersion hypothermia, drowning and near-drowning, lifejackets and floatation devices, survival strategies, rescue strategies, treatment options, after drop and postrescue collapse. Promoted through 8,000 primary schools and 1,000 aquatic facilities throughout Australia, Swim and Survive has the strong support of the Coca- Cola Foundation and Sony Computer Entertainment to spread the message. Both of these organisations acknowledge the need for Australian children to learn water safety skills which will enable them to safely spend a future enjoying aquatic activities. Since 1982 over 10 million Australian s have participated in Swim and Survive. Swim and Survive has contributed to the continued low incidences of drowning in the 5-14 year age group. Swim and Survive provides a broad balanced program of swimming, water safety and survival that is delivered by qualified instructors in schools and pools throughout Australia. The programme prepares the swimmer for a lifetime of safe activity in, on or around the water. The guest speakers are Surgeon Admiral Frank Golden and Professor Michael Tipton. The conference fee is 50 Euro per person. For more details please contact the Royal Life Saving Society United Kingdom - Republic of Ireland Branch - Hon. Branch Secretary John Connolly Web: www.rlssireland.com E-mail: rlss@ireland.com Australia: Swim and Survive launched There may be a new face, but the goal has remained the same for over twenty years to educate Australian children about keeping safe in the waterways. Heavyweights Coca-Cola, Sony Computer Entertainment and the Commonwealth Government have joined Olympic swim star Michael Klim and Royal Life Saving - Australia to For further information: National Media & PR Officer - Julia Bowyer E-mail: jbowyer@rlssa.org.au website: www.rlssa.org.au Victoria Celebrates Oldest Lifesavers The Victorian Branch of the Royal Life Saving Society Australia (RLSSA) is looking for their oldest lifesavers. Celebrating their centenary in
December 2003, the Victorian Branch of RLSSA is looking to commemorate this milestone by inviting the 100 oldest lifesavers in Victoria to be special guests at the celebrations. Centenary ambassador is Hazel Pierce, age 81, who joined Mordialloc Life Saving Club in 1954. After nearly 50 years of dedication to the club, Mrs. Pierce is entering her 28th year as Club President. lifeguarding clubs throughout the United Kingdom and Northern Ireland. Less drownings in New Zealand Water Safety New Zealand announced drownings were at a record low for the year to date. However, indications so far are that Surf Lifeguards may be the ones behind that statistic. Victorians are also being urged to nominate people whose actions in the area of aquatic safety have been recognised with rescue awards. The Victorian branch of the RLSSA was set up in 1904, and today continues their work in water safety education, lifeguard training, and public awareness campaigns to prevent drowning accidents. A gala celebration recognising members of the 100 Club was held in December, 2004. For more information, go to www.royallifesaving.com.au Lifesavers Fundraising The Royal Life Saving Society UK, is launching its first ever national fundraising event, named Kiss4Life. It is the new fundraising event designed to raise money for Lifesavers. Kiss4Life is an opportunity for any person, group or organisation to run a fundraising Valentine s Day-themed event on behalf of 'Lifesavers'. Kiss4Life gives people the chance to save lives by learning what to do in an emergency, by raising money for Lifesavers and by having fun. The Kiss4Life week runs from 9 until 14 February and is designed to get Lifesavers noticed and it will help inform the public about Lifesavers work. Lifesavers is the leading drowning prevention organisation in the UK and the UK governing body for lifesaving and lifeguarding. Founded in 1891 the Society has more than 13,000 members in 50 branches and 2,000 active lifesaving and Surf Lifeguards began summer patrols on beaches at Labour weekend and have already saved 71 lives on New Zealand beaches. So far volunteer lifeguards have clocked up 12,500 hours of beach patrols, 1,000 more than this time last year. Last year we provided 20% more patrol hours, saved 42% more lives and undertook 80% more first aid s than five years ago, says Surf Life Saving New Zealand (SLSNZ) CEO Geoff Barry. Traditional hot spots are in line with normal lifesaving activity so far this summer. Auckland s Piha lifeguards have saved 12 lives, with 6 on one day in rough surf. At the other end of the country Dunedin s St Clair Club have saved 14 lives. SLSNZ reports it s too early in the summer to predict any greater risks this year compared to others. January is our busy month. Last January we provided nearly 50,000 patrol hours in that month alone, so the early part of the summer is relatively quiet, says Barry. Last January 702 lives were saved in that one month alone, so the pressure really comes on. With increasing costal development Surf Life Saving New Zealand is looking at new strategies to prevent drownings. We simply have not got the capacity to grow our services as fast as demand is driving says Barry. This summer will mark the first of a three-year public education campaign to be launched by SLSNZ with the support of international freight company DHL. We re the largest provider of water safety education in the country but we can t patrol at every piece of the coastline. We can reach the public through strategies other than just
beach patrols, and SLSNZ seems to be the only body prepared to invest in a strategy. Last summer Surf Lifeguards saved 1,847 lives, performed nearly 88,000 preventative actions during 149,594 hours of beach patrols. 33 new Australian records 150 competitors participated in the 4-day competition at the Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships held in Sydney. No less than 33 national records were broken. The Australian Pool Lifesaving Championships are an annual event conducted by the Royal Life Saving Society - Australia. At this Championship the competitors had the opportunity to display their skills as they vie for a place on the national team. State pride was also at stake. A close contest throughout the four days of competition, the New South Wales, Queensland and Western Australia teams were consistently at each others heals in the point score, with New South Wales being declared the overall winner with the highest point score. The 33 new National records are at www.royallifesaving.com.au Marathon Sea Swim in Mauritius On Sunday 25 April the RLSS Mauritius Branch will organise the 5 km Marathon Sea Swim from Pereybere to Grand Baie in Mauritius. The Mauritius Branch is extending the invitation to any other lifesaving organisations and lifesavers from around the world to join them in this Annual enjoyable event. In 2003 more than 100 people participated. Most of the lifesaving at the coast side during the festive seasons is done on a voluntary basis. However, the National Coast Guards who are qualified lifesavers perform daily lifeguard duties all around the island. The society joined FIS in the year 1976 and is a member of the Mauritius Council of Social Service (MACOSS) which is a non governmental organisation. Any further enquiries about the event can be sent to: Branch Official: Dhiraj Dosieah, e-mail: dhirazdosieah@yahoo.com National Lifesavers Day - Australia December 1 marked the beginning of summer and was also National Lifesavers Day in Australia. To emphasise the importance of the contribution of surf lifesavers, Surf Life Saving Australia released the National Surf Safety Report, supported by local media event by many of the state centres. The report provides an analysis of data for the 2002-2003 season on the following topics: - Rescues - Preventative Actions - First Aid - Drownings - Drowning Factors - Location - Activity and Injury Mechanism - Surf Safety Tips Key findings of the report were: - 60 people drowned along the Australian coastline between 1 July 2002 and 30 June 2003, down from 61 in the previous year, and below the five-year average of 64. - The largest number of drownings occurred for males in the 20 to 29 year age bracket, accounting for 28% of all drownings. Males aged 50 to 59 accounted for 22%. - A large amount of positive media was achieved, demonstrating the tremendous amount of goodwill in the community for the work of lifesavers. The report can be downloaded at the following website: http://www.slsa.asn.au Meet this federation: Brazil The Royal Life Saving Society of Mauritius originated in the year 1954 first within the Mauritius Police Force and later amongst the public. The society is mainly involved in the promotion of swimming and life saving activities. In this article, we invite you to learn more about the Brazilian Life Saving Society: Sociedade Brasileira de Salvamento Aquatico, a full member of ILS.
Brazil is a country that occupies the largest part of South America. It is divided into one federal district and 26 States of which only 10 do not have ocean access. The tropical climates of this vast land with its 7,408 km of beaches garanties an average water temperature of 20 C. This coastal region has various beautiful landscapes with beaches so delightful they are world wide renowned. These inviting elements are a main reason for which Brazilians are so inclined to water sports and for which the Brazilian beaches are famous for holidays, sports and relaxation. The sandy beaches are also a perfect natural setting for cultural events such as concerts, dances, competitions in aquatic sports and many others. There has also been an increase of pools in clubs, condominiums and homes not only for relaxation but also for athletic training. There are an estimated 5-10 million people who practice some form of water sport either leisurely or for a serious workout. A combined nationwide total of 100,000 athletes are at competitive levels and belong to aquatic organisations. In 1996, swimming was considered the number one preferred sport after football. In 1995, out of 155 million habitants, there were 7,020 drownings which makes an average of 4,5 per 100,000. The average for drowning in Brazil is 22 years old, and male predominantly. Considering all causes of death under 19 years old, drowning is the third leading cause between 1 and 14 years old. For those reasons, Brazil history of aquatic Lifesaving started in 1914 in Rio de Janeiro City by Commodore Wilbert E. Longfellow from American Red Cross with the slogan - Each person should know how to swim and each swimmer should know how to save lives -. At the beginning, Brazilian Lifesaving Services was composed by volunteers who came from fishermen and swimmers. The first Lifesaving Services were then organised with professionals by 1930. by 1980 the Lifesaving services were almost all composed of Military Firemen until nowadays. Some Civilian services still exist around the country. There are two types of professional, full-time lifeguards. The Ocean Guards almost all are professional military lifeguards from Fire Department whose job is prevention, rescue and initial treatment of victims. Because of the intense demands of the job, their training is specialized and they are in higher demand. There are about 5,000 active guards on the coast, rivers, lakes, around the country. The Pool Guards generally are not from the military and are autonomously employed. Basically their work is prevention and security of the pools. There are an estimated number of 11,000 pool guards in Brazil. Until 1995, each Lifesaving Services have their own guidelines and protocols for rescues and approaches of drowning victims. The Brazilian Life-Saving Society - SOBRASA - is a nonprofit, civil entity, founded in march of 1995 by a group of professionals with a common objective concerned about the number of deaths due to aquatic accidents, that have a water rescue background, philosophy of organisation and function to achieve high standards of water safety and rescue. Acts as a national coordinator of all the military and civil institutions that participate in rescue services, organise aquatic sports, general public education, organise research, studies and projects that promote aquatic awareness, safety and prevention. The society is guided by a directory with representatives in 11 States from diverse entities involved in different water rescue activities. Is the only Brazilian organisation that dedicates its efforts to unify all Brazilian rescue services. The Society has the aim of introducing the spirit of lifesaving and the concept of the International Life Saving Federation to lay persons in Brazil. The activities of SOBRASA are: - First Aid and First Responder classes for BLS Water Rescue classes. - Junior Programme Summer camps and recreational activities. - Lifesaving and Water Rescue competitions. - National Lifesaving Competition. - Volunteer Lifeguard training Public education of prevention and safety. - Support for scientific and athletic projects. - Lectures and symposiums about prevention and safety. - Yearly organiser of lifesaving competitions. The website of SOBRASA is: www.sobrasa.org Newsletter compiled by Dr. Harald Vervaecke - Secretary General Sandra Harthoorn - Executive Assistant