Safety News

On Friday, July 24, 2009, American Whitewater signed a settlement agreement with South Carolina Electric & Gas Company and a suite of other organizations and agencies that resolves issues regarding the management of Lake Murray Dam for the next 50 years. Lake Murray Dam regulates flows in the popular Saluda River, as it flows through Columbia, South Carolina. AW was represented by Charlene Coleman throughout this process and the exciting agreement signed last week is a testament to her hard work and creativity.

Sudden death is a charged emotional event, often compounded by trauma among those who witness a drowning accident or try to rescue or resuscitate someone. Few people realize how little time you have for a successful drowning rescue. The sad facts are that unless a drowning person is pulled out within 6-10 minutes of going under, their chances are almost zero. Anger or displaced anger towards rescue and recovery efforts are not unusual. Excellent Resources for managing sudden death grief and trauma can be found on the Higgins & Langley website. These pamphlets, created by the Royal Hospital Foundation in Belfast, Northern Island, can be downloaded as needed

Keep this number for assistance in the Great Smoky Mountains Nation Park - (865) 436-1230. This number connects to the Park Dispatch Office and should be used in non-emergency situations. For boaters who regularly paddle in the Park it is advisable to program the number in your cell phone.

River Rescue is back in print! The 4th edition of Slim Ray's authoritative reference for whitewater paddlers is better than ever. There's lots of new material in its 292 fact-filled pages. Here's where you can find the tools and techniques you'll need to deal with any emergency. The book covers self-rescue and rescue of others by hand, boat, rope, and more It includes sections on leadership, teamwork, patient care, evacuation, and more. You'll see new photos and first-hand accounts of rescues and an expanded section on big-water rescue. Price is $24.95 + $4 s/h. The easiest way is to go to the web site, where you can use your credit card. http://www.cfspress.com/order.htm

Slim Ray, CFS Press; 8 Pelham Road, Asheville, NC 28803; 828-505-2917; info@cfspress.com

American Whitewater is looking for more story and photo contributions from canoeists, rafters, and C1ers. If you've always wished our magazine highlighted more folks who paddle like you do--with a single blade--this is your chance to make it happen.

The Higgins and Langley Memorial Awards in Swiftwater Rescue honor outstanding achievement in the technical rescue discipline of swiftwater and flood rescue. They are not heroism awards, but rather recognize preparedness, teamwork, and a job well done, sometimes under extreme conditions, where training is vital to the success of rescue missions, as well as the safety of rescue personnel.

The awards were established in 1993 by members of the Swiftwater Rescue Committee of the National Association for Search and Rescue (NASAR) in honor of Earl Higgins, a writer and filmmaker who lost his life in 1980 while rescuing a child who was swept down the flood-swollen Los Angeles River, and Jeffrey Langley, a Los Angeles County Fire Department firefighter-paramedic and swiftwater rescue pioneer, who lost his life in a helicopter incident in 1993.

There is a special page on the Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund website that features a series of outstanding information brochures about sudden death grief and trauma. The brochures were produced by the Royal Hospitals Trauma Advisory Council in Ireland:

Sudden Death - Grief and Trauma Brochures
http://higginsandla ngley.org/ death_grief_ information. shtml

The brochures will no longer be available on the Royal Hospitals website, as the Trauma Advisory Council is ending in August. We received permission to feature the brochures on our website - they are among the best resources I've found online that focus on sudden death grief and trauma.

The information is broken into three groups - for families who have suffered a sudden death loss, for professionals dealing with these families, and for schools that have children in attendance who are grieving. The brochures are also divided by age group, which is very helpful.

Eventually, this information will be featured on the new Drowning Support Network web site.

There is a special page on the Higgins & Langley Memorial and Education Fund website that features a series of outstanding information brochures about sudden death grief and trauma. The brochures were produced by the Royal Hospitals Trauma Advisory Council in Ireland. they are among the best resources online that focus on sudden death grief and trauma.

Sudden Death - Grief and Trauma Brochures

http://higginsandla ngley.org/ death_grief_ information. shtml

The Sumter National Forest told AW today to expect even more delays in the release of their Environmental Assessment (EA) regarding recreational use in the Wild and Scenic Upper Chattooga River corridor. Now a full year late, and fraught with problems, it is unclear when the EA will be released.