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Author Topic: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning  (Read 5434 times)

Mike Sokol

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Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« on: June 24, 2017, 08:53:13 AM »

Five died in a Turkish water park from Electric Shock Drowning (ESD). Water and electricity don't mix...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40388161

Three children and two adults who tried to rescue them have been electrocuted in a water park in north-western Turkey, local media say.
The incident happened in the town of Akyazi, in Sakarya province, 100km (62 miles) east of Istanbul.

The park manager and his son dived in to help the three children. The five, believed to be all Turkish, were taken to hospital but could not be saved. It was unclear how the pool had become electrified.

Rescuers and park personnel flushed the pool's water away as others turned off electricity in the facility. One other person was injured in the incident and taken to hospital. An investigation has already begun.

The Hurriyet newspaper named the park manager as Mehmet Kaya, 58, and his son as Kadir Kaya, 30. The children were aged 12, 15 and 17, Turkish media said.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2017, 12:04:28 PM by Mike Sokol »
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Frank DeWitt

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #1 on: June 24, 2017, 01:42:10 PM »

Five died in a Turkish water park from Electric Shock Drowning (ESD). Water and electricity don't mix...

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40388161

Three children and two adults who tried to rescue them have been electrocuted in a water park in north-western Turkey, local media say.
The incident happened in the town of Akyazi, in Sakarya province, 100km (62 miles) east of Istanbul.

The park manager and his son dived in to help the three children. The five, believed to be all Turkish, were taken to hospital but could not be saved. It was unclear how the pool had become electrified.

Rescuers and park personnel flushed the pool's water away as others turned off electricity in the facility. One other person was injured in the incident and taken to hospital. An investigation has already begun.

The Hurriyet newspaper named the park manager as Mehmet Kaya, 58, and his son as Kadir Kaya, 30. The children were aged 12, 15 and 17, Turkish media said.


As a guy with grand children that I like, how do I know when a risk is present?  I suspect it has something to do with overall condition of the park, and a NCVD
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John Roberts {JR}

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #2 on: June 24, 2017, 01:46:46 PM »

It suggests we should be cautious about blindly jumping into water when we see somebody in distress.. especially if the first rescuer also has trouble.... beware.

I wonder if a wet suit would provide any protection... it would have to be hermetically sealed and dry inside (not easy), but maybe?

JR
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Tim McCulloch

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #3 on: June 24, 2017, 02:38:46 PM »

It suggests we should be cautious about blindly jumping into water when we see somebody in distress.. especially if the first rescuer also has trouble.... beware.

I wonder if a wet suit would provide any protection... it would have to be hermetically sealed and dry inside (not easy), but maybe?

JR

JR, you make me think when you post stuff and today it's a teenage flashback:

From Boy Scouts, the water rescue protocol I remember is Reach, Throw, Row, Go.  Reach includes use of poles and in most pool situations those things are made from aluminum - a "Hmmmmmm" moment.  Throw is usually a life ring on a rope, or other flotation device; if the victim is already paralytic he can't grab the float.  Row?  Someone will have to help me with this, but if the rescuer is in an aluminum hull canoe or row boat, is he at equipotential, or is he potentially energized?  What about an insulted hull like a plastic canoe?  Eventually you have to grab the victim or find a way to tow him further from the energy source.

Go (swimming rescue) is the last option in general and probably the worst choice in this situation.  None of the common rescue techniques & available materials prevent rescuer's exposure to the electrification hazard, either.

It looks like rescue in these situations requires very different training - starting with identification of the actual hazard - and non-conductive rescue tools.

Thanks for jump starting my brain.
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John Roberts {JR}

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #4 on: June 24, 2017, 03:00:57 PM »

JR, you make me think when you post stuff and today it's a teenage flashback:

From Boy Scouts, the water rescue protocol I remember is Reach, Throw, Row, Go.  Reach includes use of poles and in most pool situations those things are made from aluminum - a "Hmmmmmm" moment.  Throw is usually a life ring on a rope, or other flotation device; if the victim is already paralytic he can't grab the float.

 Row?  Someone will have to help me with this, but if the rescuer is in an aluminum hull canoe or row boat, is he at equipotential, or is he potentially energized? 
From Mike's description of the mechanism the metal boat hull should short out the electrical potential in the water locally. Touching the metal boat is not a risk unless you also can touch something grounded. Getting out of the boat at the shoreline or dock might be fun.  :o
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What about an insulted hull like a plastic canoe?  Eventually you have to grab the victim or find a way to tow him further from the energy source.

Go (swimming rescue) is the last option in general and probably the worst choice in this situation.  None of the common rescue techniques & available materials prevent rescuer's exposure to the electrification hazard, either.

It looks like rescue in these situations requires very different training - starting with identification of the actual hazard - and non-conductive rescue tools.

Thanks for jump starting my brain.
There should be easy to locate master power cutoff switches near any electrical equipment in the vicinity of water.

Too many reports start with owner who jumped in water to rescue a dog...:-( (I like dogs but not that much).

A bit of a chicken and egg thing... before you invest in plastic rescue poles, invest in secure electrical service. Maybe the fire department rescue team can use the fiberglas poles, like the power company line workers have.

JR
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Mike Sokol

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #5 on: June 24, 2017, 03:09:54 PM »

From Mike's description of the mechanism the metal boat hull should short out the electrical potential in the water locally. Touching the metal boat is not a risk unless you also can touch something grounded. Getting out of the boat at the shoreline or dock might be fun.  :oThere should be easy to locate master power cutoff switches near any electrical equipment in the vicinity of water.

You're safe in any boat as long as you don't get in the water or touch the electrified conduit, or whatever is electrifying the water. I've suggested a life preserver on a nylon rope to the ESD group, and that seems safe enough. Also, a fiberglass pole with a rope loop on the end seems like a good choice. But GFCIs on the dock will save lives. As will education not to jump in the water until the power source is turned off. But in the case of something like a water park, where exactly is the circuit breaker panel, and is it unlocked? Also, AED (Automated External Defibrillator) should be required on all docks and places where people gather, such as water parks. And compression-only CPR will save lives from ESD as well as electrocution-shock, but it's not widely known or taught.

Jeff Bankston

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #6 on: June 24, 2017, 07:57:57 PM »

It suggests we should be cautious about blindly jumping into water when we see somebody in distress.. especially if the first rescuer also has trouble.... beware.

I wonder if a wet suit would provide any protection... it would have to be hermetically sealed and dry inside (not easy), but maybe?

JR
Dont wet suits have stainless steel zippers that can come in contact with the skin ? I need to ask a friend that suit dives.
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Mark Cadwallader

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #7 on: June 24, 2017, 11:25:21 PM »

A wet suit is just that: wet inside and out. A dry suit excludes water from your covered skin, but you still have hands, head, and feet to get wet.
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Mike Sokol

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #8 on: June 25, 2017, 08:27:33 AM »

A wet suit is just that: wet inside and out. A dry suit excludes water from your covered skin, but you still have hands, head, and feet to get wet.

The way gradient shocks work is that hand-to-hand and head-to-foot distances are what generate the highest voltage differential, and thus the highest current flow through your body. So even if you had a perfectly insulated "dry" suit on but your hands were bare, you could still get a hand-to-hand current of 20 mA or more in a 5v/ft gradient. And that's sufficient to cause swimmer paralysis and drowning. So you could wear a 100% coverage rubber suit and you would be safe, or you could wear a Faraday suit out of metal foil which would shunt the current around you. But again, that's not practical either. So if there's anyone getting shocked in the water, DO NOT jump in to save them until you can verify the power is off. As you can see from the examples I've recently posted, it's usually the good Samaritan or family rescuers who end up dying. So, dial 911 first, determine how to turn off the power, and ONLY THEN attempt a water rescue.
« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 08:29:58 AM by Mike Sokol »
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Mike Sokol

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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2017, 08:39:19 AM »

I think that any dock or water feature with power should have this sort of fiberglass insulated rescue pole available in plain site on the dock, along with a well marked AED in the area (the boathouse?) And the lifeguards (or whoever) should be giving weekly classes during the season on how to perform compression-only CPR and perform non-swimming water rescues around powered docks. That would save lives...

« Last Edit: June 25, 2017, 08:54:15 AM by Mike Sokol »
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Re: Water Park - Electric Shock Drowning
« Reply #9 on: June 25, 2017, 08:39:19 AM »


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