Here’s a quick pop quiz:

If a friend is drowning, you should…

A) Jump in the water and swim them to safety
B) Throw a rope or reach for them from the shore

Nearly 50% of the students in one Self Enhancement, Inc. (SEI) summer program classroom answered “A.” And that’s wrong…the kind of wrong that could be deadly. But by the end of class, every single student knew the mantra, “Reach or throw, don’t go,” proving that a little education really can save a life.

I tell you this for two reasons. One, because we have a very cool new SEI partnership (I’d link to the press release, but it’s on the new website and not ready for public consumption yet). And two, because there was this very sad article in The Oregonian today.

The 13-year-old victim’s brother jumped in the water (A) to try and rescue him, almost drowning in the process. Fortunately, a camp host pulled the 18-year-old onto an island in the river (B), saving his life. But despite attempts by quick-thinking rafters to revive the younger brother with CPR, it was too late.

As the article says, “The rivers of Oregon and southwest Washington claim dozens of victims each summer. Last year, 15 perished in the water. The year before that, 23.” Take the time to review water safety tips for lakes and rivers. And get trained in CPR. You never know when you might need to save a life.

Photo courtesy of Operators Are Standing By