Reach or Throw, Don't Go

Read the guides

• How to Help Someone Caught in a Rip Current

  Someone is caught in a rip current. Get a lifeguard, call 911, tell them to swim along the shore and throw something that floats. Don't swim out yourself.

• What to Do If You Fall Through Ice (and How to Help)

  Step-by-step self-rescue if you fall through ice, why ice picks matter, and how to help someone else from shore without walking out onto the ice yourself.

• How to Throw a Ring Buoy or Throw Bag

  How to use rescue equipment at pools, docks and beaches: throw bags, ring buoys and reaching poles, what to throw if there's none, and pulling someone in.

• Reach or Throw, Don't Go: How to Help Someone Who Is Drowning

  How to help a drowning person without becoming a second victim: call 911, reach with a pole or rope, throw something that floats, and don't go in.

• Pool Rescue Equipment: Reaching Poles, Ring Buoys and a Phone

  The rescue gear every home or community pool needs: a reaching pole, ring buoy, phone, life jackets and first aid kit, where to keep it, and how to use it.

• What Drowning Looks Like: The Quiet Signs

  Drowning is usually quiet and fast. Learn the real signs of drowning in children and adults, how distress differs from drowning, and what to do right away.