Junior Lifesaving Classes Held Throughout Japan
David Tharp
The Nippon Foundation
The Nippon Foundation
Water Safety Emphasized As Summer Heat Sweeps Nation
Indepth Articles
[Aug. 16, 2010]
Life Saving Classes for Kids To Protect Against Water Accidents
(This article is based on an original story in Japanese by Yasutaka Utagawa and translated by David Tharp)
This year a record heat wave has swept the Japanese islands, and many people have escaped to the sea for relief. Because playing in the sea can also be an occasion for water accidents, The Nippon Foundation and the Japan Lifesaving Association (JLA) joined forces to hold “Junior Lifesaving Education Classes” throughout the country for kids to learn how to play in the sea without mishaps.
Every year, the 5- to 15-year-old group has a large number of water accidents. In 2009, this age group accounted for 33.2% of all water accidents in Japan, according to a survey conducted by the JLA.
Therefore, the organization launched a junior leadership program to train kids in water safety skills and techniques. It is hoped that they in turn will teach water safety skills to other children in their age group.
Since the 2007 inception of this water safety training program in, 600 kids have been trained. One of the places where this water safety program has been taught is the Pacific coast town of Hokota in Ibaraki Prefecture. The underwater topography there has caused Hokota Otake Beach to become famous for its strong rip tide. Tidal currents here have been known to carry the incautious out to sea.
Recently, 20 primary school students (1st to 3rd graders) were gathered here and divided into two teams to learn water safety under the Otake Lifesaving Club. Children were paired off with “buddies” who check on each others' safety.
Primary students dividing into teams and buddies at Otake Beach
First, the kids warm up by running up and down the beach a few times. Then instructors explained to them how to use “nipper boards,” or short rescue boards designed for children. The kids enjoyed following the instructors' directions, learning how to play it safe in the sea.
The word “nipper” is a British term referring to small children, and recently in Australia, it has specifically come to mean surf lifesavers between the ages of five and thirteen.
Life saving training with a nipper board develops a child’s confidence, knowledge and skills in the beach environment. The junior lifesafers of today are the future of life saving and similar training programs are currently offered all over Australia.
Likewise, in Japan, nipper board training is seen as a fun way for children to enjoy the beach in a safe environment. It also offers children a way to become fully rounded participants in both lifesaving and water sports.
One the instructors at Otake Beach, Dai Suwa, was a college student who has been swimming at this beach since childhood. He said he knew where the dangerous places were for rip tides, and pointed at an area some distance from the beach where he had personally experienced them.
Suwa said the many future lifesavers who will develop from the nipper training at Otake Beach will make the beaches safer for many others.
The kids who participated in the program said the training was enjoyable and the program’s contents were well-taught. Everyone felt that a good foundation was secured for the safety of this beach area. The Nippon Foundation happily supports this JLA training.
Nipper board practice at Otake Beach