During the summer of 2023, Lieutenant Phan Van Hai, of the Fire Prevention and Rescue Police Team, Dak Mil District Police, had a nearly full schedule. Besides fulfilling his daily professional duties, he dedicated 4-5 sessions each week to teaching free swimming lessons to children in Dak Mil district. He has been doing this for the past two years during the summer.
Lieutenant Pham Van Hai said: "Our team has a relatively small number of personnel, so the officers and soldiers have to divide into groups, taking turns to teach swimming to children. Although busy, everyone tries to arrange their time, balancing their professional duties with teaching swimming, so that the children can acquire the best skills."
The model has maintained five swimming classes, expanding to three private swimming pools in the towns of Đắk Mil, Đắk Lao, and Đắk R'la. Each class lasts more than three weeks, equipping children with basic swimming skills, including: swimming techniques, first aid skills, and methods for preventing and rescuing drowning victims.
Having been effectively implemented and spread throughout the community since the summer of 2022, the number of parents registering their children to participate increased significantly in the summer of 2023. In the classes, the young "students" were enthusiastic and delighted to be taught essential swimming skills by the police officers, while also having fun, making friends, and enjoying a beneficial training activity during the summer.
Nguyen Thuy An, from residential area 10, Dak Mil town (Dak Mil district), shared: “I really enjoy participating in swimming lessons. Now I feel more confident when I go into the water and am not as scared as before.”
The free swimming classes organized by the Dak Mil District Police are held twice a day, from Monday to Saturday. To ensure the quality and safety of the classes, the Dak Mil District Police have assigned 16 instructors to teach. These instructors are officers from the district's own unit and those from other units who provide additional support. By the end of the summer of 2023, more than 500 children in the district had received free swimming lessons, bringing the total number of children who have learned to swim in the past two years to nearly 700.
Lieutenant Colonel Nguyen Cao Cuong, Deputy Head of the Dak Mil District Police, informed: “We use the Fire and Rescue Team – which has expertise and experience in swimming – to teach children how to swim. In addition, the unit also coordinates and mobilizes forces from the Department of Education and Training, the Military Command, and the District Youth Union to participate in teaching children how to swim.”
Thanks to the responsibility and dedication of each member, officer, and soldier involved, more swimming classes have been completed, and more children have become proficient in swimming skills, contributing to reducing tragic accidents.
The "Free Swimming Lessons" model implemented by the Dak Mil District Police is a pilot model of the Dak Nong Provincial Police in the work of preventing drowning among children.
Source
