As a former lifeguard, and an EMT, "do not go unless safe" is not only good advice, it's basically drilled into you constantly.

It's far too easy to get into the "I can save anyone" mindset and hurt yourself.

Sometimes you are off shift and don't have the proper personal safety equipment. Sometimes the patient is actively violent. Sometimes the situation is such that going out yourself just creates two patients.

You ALWAYS, stop and look at the situation and think "scene safe?" Before doing ANYTHING for a rescue.

Sure, most city pool lifeguards are in a super controlled situation, and they have floatation devices and everything needed to help, but you should still take that two seconds to think before you go.

Thats also what the big floaty thing is for. Life gaurds are very good swimmers.

you won't be able to tell, but at least when I was taught ages ago, they advised to call out verbally before approaching, and then circle around to approach from the back to prevent them pushing you under in an attempt to draw a breath. and that's after trying to find other ways to save them than getting in yourself

You'd also think that a lifeguard would be specifically trained to work with this, and also equipped with some floatation device to help

I recall being taught to dive if this happens. They'll let go. I've never had to test this strategy.

This is America. We have a significant number of people that can't read and words are everywhere.

Lots of people never learn. I only learned because the apartment complex behind my house as a kid had a pool and my friends and I would hop the fence and use it. Some kid pushed me into the deep end one day and I learned real quick.

Now as an adult, we've put our kid in swim classes but that wasn't something our families had the resources to do when we were kids. My wife still doesnt know how to swim.

I can swim, but not good enough to rescue someone else, and definitely not in a stream.

I have a weird lack of buoyancy in my legs that makes it extremely exhausting just to keep myself affloat, so I never bothered pursuing it further.

I do know how to float, but it only works in salt water. I can however easily dive to the bottom of any pool without effort, so I guess I've got that going for me.

Different countries handle it different ways. Growing up in the UK (Rivers, Reservoirs and being and island) and Qatar (surrounded by the Sea on 3/4 of its mass) swimming lessons were mandatory all the way to High School. I know of a school in Dagenham that continued swimming classes back in 1990’s, but saying that, a lot of governments tend to axe shit left and right so I’d be surprised if it’s still a thing. I still remember the detol smell of washing your feet before getting climbing into the pool in some schools.