PREFACE<br > Safety in and on the water depends upon a number of things. It<br > begins， of course， with the ability to swim well enough to care for<br > one s self under ordinary conditions. It does not， however， end<br > there~ Real water safety is also based upon such factors as the<br > ability to reco nize and avoid hazardous water conditions and<br > practices. Ability to use self-rescue skills to get out of danger-<br > ous situations is also a factor. Finally， skill in rescuing or<br > assisting persons in danger of drowning is a means of<br > preserving a person s own life as well as saving that of someone<br > else. The three major causes of drowning are， and always have<br > been， failure to recognize hazardous conditions or practices，<br > inability to get out of dangerous situations， and lack of<br > knowledge of safe ways in which to aid persons requiring<br > assistance in the water.<br > When Commodore Wilbert E. Longfellow started the Life<br > Saving Service of the American Red Cross in 1914， he<br > concentrated wisely on the organization and training of<br > volunteer lifesaving corps throughout the country to super-<br > vise otherwise unguarded bathing beaches. It soon became<br > evident， however， that this was not the final solution to the<br > problem of drownings， and changes in methods were reflected<br > in the slogan coined by the Commodore: "Everyone a swimmer，<br > every swimmer a lifesaver." The slogan reflects the philosophy<br > that the best kind of lifesaving is being able to swim well， and<br > that the next best way to cope with the accidental drowning<br > situation is to train as many people as possible in lifesaving<br > techniques.<br > Since 1914， the American Red Cross has published various<br > texts， planned and writte~ as resources to which anyone<br > nterested in water safety may refer. The books have been<br > designed as texts upon which Red Cross lifesaving training<br > ~ courses are based and have been used by both instructors and<br > pupils as authoritative sources of information.<br > The present text developed by Edmond J. Mongeon，<br > .national director of the American Red Cross Water Safety<br > Program， is the resource textbook for Red Cross lifesaving<br > and water safety courses and is dedicated to the task of<br > teaclfing and disseminating the skills of lifesaving and water<br > safety.<br >