It’s an emergency

Lesson 4 – 20 minutes

Learning outcomes

• Recognise what an emergency is
• Describe when and how to dial ‘000’ if an emergency is identified
• Recognise the red and yellow flags
• Understand what the red and yellow flags mean

Preparation

• Whiteboard and markers (optional) Butcher paper and markers (optional).
• Worksheet: red and yellow flags (optional).
• Colouring-in pencils/pens etc (must have lots of red and yellow).
• A red and yellow patrol flag

Discuss

• Ask the participants what an emergency is and describe different types of emergencies, noting them down on a whiteboard / paper, if available. (An emergency is a crisis, usually involving danger that requires fast action, i.e: a person is badly injured, a person has stopped breathing, fire etc).
• Discuss the differences between what an emergency might look like in the water and out of the water.
  • Water: A swimmer in an emergency situation may be calling for help or ‘climbing the ladder’.
  • Beach: A person may have an injury where blood is visible or unconscious.
• Explain the use of the ‘000’ number in an emergency.
  • It will connect you straight to emergency services, i.e. Fire, Police, Ambulance.
• Explain when this number would be used at the beach.
  • If you see an emergency, you tell the adult you are with at the beach. They can then tell a lifesaver who will then call ‘000’.
  • If the adult you are with requires emergency help and cannot call ‘000’ themselves, then you tell a lifesaver who will then call ‘000’.
• Explain when this number would be used away from the beach.
  • If you see an emergency, you tell the adult you are with. They can then call ‘000’.
  • If the adult you are with requires emergency help and cannot call ‘000’ themselves, then you can call ‘000’

Activity 1

• Create some real-life scenarios/role plays in groups of four.
• Participants in their group select 1 x drowning swimmer, 1 x child, 1 x adult, 1 x lifesaver.
• Example scenario:
  • You are at the beach when you see someone drowning in the water, you alert the adult you are with who then alerts a lifesaver who then calls ‘000’.
  • ‘Drowning Swimmer’ pretends to be drowning (climbing the ladder, out of breath) ‘Child’ notices the drowning swimmer and alerts the ‘Adult’ they are with.
  • The ‘Adult’ alerts the lifesaver.
  • The ‘Lifesaver’ calls ‘000’

Discuss

• Using a red and yellow flag as a prop, discuss with the participants the role of the red and yellow flags (The flags represent the area patrolled by lifesavers and lifeguards. They mark the safest place to swim at the beach)
• If a patrol is operating at the beach find a spot where you can see the flagged swimming area and start a discussion on what you can see:
  • What dangers are nearby?
  • Why are the flags where they are?
  • Where are the lifesavers located?
  • Is everyone swimming in the flags? Why/why not?

Activity 2

• Have the participants do one of the following:
  • Colour in the picture of the red and yellow flags on the worksheet. Create a sand sculpture of the red and yellow flags.
  • Use different things found on the beach to create a red and yellow flags scene.