Upon seeing someone drowning, shout for help and call 110/120, then reach out a pole or floating objects — never enter the water yourself

Cost: No cost involved. The hard part is resisting the urge to jump in.
In plain terms: A drowning person instinctively pulls their rescuer underwater, so anyone who enters the water risks drowning too. The proper sequence is: shout for help → call emergency services → extend a long pole or rope → throw life rings, empty buckets, or plastic bottles → if the victim is on shore and not breathing, start CPR immediately. Never form a human chain by holding hands and entering the water. Globally, roughly 300,000 people drown each year; this ranks as the fourth leading cause of death among children aged 1–4.
Benefit: WHO reports that about 300,000 drownings occur worldwide each year, with 92% occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Drowning is the fourth leading cause of death for kids aged 1–4 and the third leading cause for those aged 5–14. WHO recommends “safe rescue and resuscitation training” — essentially learning how to help without entering the water. The recommended steps are identical: shout for help → call emergency services → reach out poles or ropes, toss life rings, empty buckets, or bottles → if the victim is out of water and not breathing, perform CPR right away.
Evidence grade: C
Sources:WHO. 溺水实况报道. https://www.who.int/zh/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/drowning
Notes: Grade C is assigned because no official source explicitly states the “do not enter the water” rule; we only have WHO’s global death statistics and the broader principle of “safe rescue.” Never form a human chain by holding hands and jumping in. Untrained individuals should not attempt to pull a drowning person out, as the victim will instinctively pull them underwater. This “stay out of water” rule also serves self-preservation — anyone who enters the water risks drowning, regardless of who the victim is. Most cases involve a child, so prevention is covered in Section 1, Item 12: keep children under constant supervision near water. If someone falls through ice, do not run onto the ice to pull them; prevention is in Section 1, item 41 (measure outdoor ice thickness first).