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Lifeguard Victim Extrication
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Lifeguard victim extrication is the transition between the rescue and the care, and it is where rescues most often slow down. Compressions cannot be given in water, so nothing that matters medically starts until the casualty is on the deck.
How is lifeguard victim extrication done with one rescuer or two?
Two-rescuer extrication is the standard and the faster option. Both rescuers in the water at the wall, the casualty face up with arms crossed over the chest. On a count, both lift together, sliding the casualty up the wall and rotating them onto the deck, with the head supported and last to be lowered.
Single-rescuer extrication is used when no help has arrived. Place the casualty’s hands crossed on the wall, hold them there, climb out, then take the wrists and lift, rotating the body so the back and head are supported down onto the deck.
In both cases the casualty goes down onto their back, with the head controlled by the rescuer at the head end.
Use the backboard when spinal injury is suspected
If there is any indication of head, neck or back injury, extrication is done on a backboard and not by lifting. That is a different and slower procedure, and it is the correct one: a spinal casualty lifted by the arms may be injured permanently by the extrication itself.
Why it is practised so much
Lifting a limp, wet adult out of water onto a deck is physically hard, and it is hard at exactly the moment the guard is most out of breath. Technique is what makes it possible for a guard smaller than the casualty. Facilities that drill lifeguard victim extrication monthly get it done in seconds; facilities that do not spend a minute on it.
Where to extricate
Nearest safe point, not necessarily the nearest point. A zero-depth entry or steps are far easier than a wall, and a few extra seconds towing to an easier exit is usually faster overall than struggling at a high wall.
Lifeguard victim extrication: frequently asked questions
How do you perform lifeguard victim extrication?
For lifeguard victim extrication with two rescuers, position the casualty face up at the wall with arms crossed, lift together on a count, slide them up the wall and rotate onto the deck supporting the head. A single rescuer holds the crossed hands on the wall, climbs out, then lifts by the wrists and rotates the casualty down onto their back.
What if a spinal injury is suspected?
Do not lift. Extricate on a backboard instead, because lifting a spinal casualty by the arms can cause permanent injury during the extrication itself.
Where should you extricate the casualty?
At the nearest safe point rather than the nearest point. Steps or a zero-depth entry are much easier than a high wall, and towing a few extra seconds is often faster overall.
Reviewed by Jackie Stern, Lifeguard Instructor, Firefighter and EMT. Jackie Stern has taught lifeguarding for more than 20 years and works as a firefighter, EMT and swim instructor. She reviews course content, prerequisites and rescue standards against current certification requirements.
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