Denmark launches new swimming guidelines to prevent drowning accidents

Each year, around 100 people in Denmark die by drowning in Denmark when swimming along the coast, in lakes, harbours and in swimming pools.

Trygfonden, SvømDanmark, DGI and Dansk Skoleidræt, the organisations behind the new guidelines, stipulate that an adult should be able to swim for at least 200 metres without stopping and without the help of floatation devices or other equipment, including 25 metres swimming on their back.

Only 43 percent of adults in Denmark are believed to be able to swim at that level, according to a survey carried out by Epinion on behalf of Trygfonden.

"We live in a country surrounded by water, and that means that we need the skills to be able to react in the water ‒ whether that's due to an accident, or because we want to enjoy the water," René Højer, project manager at TrygFonden, told the Ritzau newswire.

Adults should also be able to save an unconscious person in the water (with the help of a floatation device), while children aged 12 or above are expected to be able to swim for at least 75 metres unassisted.

Højer said that the organisations hope that the new guidelines will serve as a good minimum goal for schools and swimming clubs.

"It's a type of compass which swimming clubs and schools can aim towards. A shared language which can be used to understand what children should learn at different ages."

He admitted that it will take time for Danes' swimming skills to reach the level of the new guidelines.

"This isn't a quick fix that will be sorted within the next two years," he told Ritzau. "But the fact that we've defined these goals and have the most important actors on our side means we're getting there."

School swimming classes will also play an important role, according to Bjørn Friis Neerfeldt, the secretary-general of Dansk Skoleidræt.

"These new national recommendations mean that teachers responsible for school swimming classes will have a new tool to strengthen their teaching," he wrote in a comment to Ritzau.

According to TrygFonden, 82 percent of Danish primary schools offer swimming classes to students.

Here are the official guidelines, split up by age group:

Six year olds (to be practiced from age 0-6)

• Knowledge of the five swimming rules: "learn to swim", "never go into the water alone", "check the water and the wind", "get to know the beach" and "don't let children out of sight"
• Able to get into and out of shallow water safely (shallow water here is defined as water where their feet touch the bottom)
• Can float and tread water in shallow areas safely and signal for help. Can hold on to a floatation device.
• Can move for at least four metres in the water without assistance
• Comfortable having shoulders under water while blowing bubbles
• Can recognise someone in an emergency situation while in the water and call for help
• Can ring Danish emergency number 112

Twelve year olds (to be practiced from age 7-12)

• Can explain the five swimming rules (see above)
• Can get in and out of deep water safely (water where their feet does not touch the bottom)
• Can float, turn and tread water for one minute in deep water, and signal for help. Can swim with a floatation device.
• Can swim at least 75 metres without assistance, including 25 metres backstroke
• Can move horizontally and vertically through water
• Can rescue a conscious person in the water from land, using a floatation device
• Can recognise whether someone is unconscious, call 112 and assess whether they are breathing normally, as well as putting them in the recovery position if needed

Adults (to be practiced from age 13)

• Can provide advice on water safety based on the five swimming rules
• Can get in and out of deep water safely
• Can float, turn and tread water for three minutes in deep water, and signal for help. Can put on a rescue vest while in the water.
• Can swim at least 200 metres without assistance, including 25 metres backstroke
• Can move horizontally in water for at least five metres underwater, as well as collecting an object two metres deep
• Can save an unconscious person in water with the use of a floatation device
• Can recognise whether someone is unconscious, call 112 and assess whether they are breathing normally, perform CPR and put them in the recovery position if needed

Sources: Trygfonden, Dansk Skoleidræt, SvømDanmark, DGI