The C-Zones Framework

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education Volume 6 | Number 1 Article 9 2-1-2012 The C-Zones Framework John Connolly The Lifesaving Foundation, Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare Recommended Citation Connolly, John (2012) "The C-Zones Framework," International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education: Vol. 6 : No. 1 , Article 9. DOI: 10.25035/ijare.06.01.09 Available at: https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol6/iss1/9 This Education Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@BGSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education by an authorized editor of ScholarWorks@BGSU. Connolly: The C-Zones Framework Education International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 2012, 6, 80-93 © 2012 Human Kinetics, Inc. The C-Zones Framework John Connolly Lifesavers often discuss and analyze rescue and drowning incidents. The C-Zones Framework was designed to serve as an aid to such discussions. It is constituted by a number of zones (i.e., C1-concern, C2-crisis, C3-critical, C4-cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), C5-coma, C6-conclusion) and is simple enough to be easily remembered and quickly drawn on a piece of paper yet sufficiently detailed to be a serious analytical tool. The use of multicolored or different style lines permits the comparison of numerous casualty variations and outcomes on the one framework. The standard framework has a 20 min time limit describing the progress of an incident from its beginning to conclusion, but other versions of the framework are possible by adjusting the timing. Overall, this framework can serve as a teaching aid and useful feedback tool offering a visual overview of rescue options and their potential or likely consequences at various stages in the drowning process. This information can be valuable to lifesavers, lifeguards, professional rescuers, lawyers, expert witnesses, and judges. Keywords: lifesaving, water safety, drowning, lifeguarding, water safety methods. Drowning is a social and health problem globally with limited related theories, models, and frameworks dedicated to prevention or rescue. For example, Pia (1970) introduced the term “Instinctive Drowning Response” that described the pattern and the features of a drowning nonswimmer. The same author also established the RID factor as a cause of drowning where “R” stands for the lifeguards’ failure to recognize the classic symptoms of a drowning victim. “I” stands for their intrusion by being engaged in other duties and “D” stands for their distraction by people of the opposite gender (Pia, 1984). Ellis and White (1994) introduced the Protection Rule 10/20 that recommended a 10-s time limit to scan and identify a person in distress and a 20-s limit for approaching and contacting the drowning victim. Later, Griffiths (2000) introduced the 5-min scanning strategy. According to this strategy, lifeguards should change their position, scanning and posture every five minutes to remain vigilant and effective. Recently, others established and published the 4W model of drowning that identified the rescuer, the casualty, the place, and the circumstances of occurrence as the main determinants of the outcome of a drowning incident (Avramidis, 2009; Avramidis, Butterly & Llewellyn, 2007, 2009a, 2009b, 2009c, 2009d; Avramidis, McKenna, Long, Butterly, & Llewellyn, 2010). Similarly, Avramidis and John Connolly is with The Lifesaving Foundation, Waterford City, Ireland. Published80 by ScholarWorks@BGSU, 2012 1 International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, Vol. 6, No. 1 [2012], Art. 9 C Zones   81 McKenna (2010) applied the Haddon Matrix to suggest a preevent, in-event, and postevent approach for examining a drowning episode. Moreover, Avramidis and McKenna (2010) took one step beyond this by merging the preexisting 4W model and the Haddon Matrix resulting in a new educational aid that aimed to increase understanding of the drowning phenomenon in terms of prevention, rescue, and treatment. Because some of these theories and models, especially those in the first paragraph, were not scientifically validated, their effectiveness has been questioned (see DeRosa, 2008; Ellis and Associates & Poseidon Technologies, 2001; Pia, 2007). A study of the previous empirical and research-based published work revealed the need for a framework usable as an aid to water safety-related discussions and as a tool to visually overview the various stages of the drowning and rescue process. Particularly, there is a lack of a tool simple enough to be easily remembered and quickly drawn on a piece of paper yet sufficiently detailed to be a serious analytical tool in explaining the drowning and lifesaving process. In addition, there is a need for a teaching aid that would offer a visual overview of rescue options and their potential or likely consequences at various stages in the drowning process. The aim of this educational article is to introduce a theoretical framework of drowningrelated, interlinked C-Zones that might suggest practical applications for enhancing drowning prevention, rescue, treatment, policy making, risk management, and risk assessment. Overview To better describe the C-Zones model, there is a need to explain its constituent “building blocks.” These building blocks include • the lines that are drawn to show the progress of an event, • the zones that delineate different stages in a drowning incident, • the timing, and • the key points involved in each emergency episode. After describing each of these building blocks, I reassemble them to formulate the C-Zones framework (see Figure 1a). Lines The first building block of the C-Zones model is the lines representing relationships and connections. Vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines are drawn on a framework of five connected rectangular zones numbered C1 to C5, on X (deterioration of situation into increased seriousness) and Y (elapsed time) axes. Colored lines or broken/ wave lines are used to model the progress of an incident from its beginning to its conclusion. In addition, these lines permit the comparison of numerous casualty variations and outcomes on a single framework (examples in Figures 3 & 4). Zones The second building block in the model is the zones themselves. There are seven zones (Figure 1a), five connected numbered C1 to C5 and two C0 and C6 relating https://scholarworks.bgsu.edu/ijare/vol6/iss1/9 DOI: 10.25035/ijare.06.01.09 2 Connolly: The C-Zones Framework 82   Connolly Figure 1a — C-Zones standard framework. The framework can be used to understand and evaluate a drowning incident. to events before and after an incident. Before an event (to entering the framework) a person feels comfortable and nonthreatened in, on, or near water and is in the Comfort Zone (C0). The Concern Zone (C1) describes the situation where an event changes the person’s feeling from being comfortab (...truncated)