Contact Rescues (the GO stage in RETHROG) can be the most dangerous ones to perform.  In some cases, this may be the only viable alternative.  If the victim is unconcious or very badly injured, there really isn't much of a choice.  Having a person directly with the victim opens up a world of options and certainly gives a great deal ogf confidence to the person in trouble - a great example is a foot entrapment.  A great companion course is life guard training where they cover victim psychology and provide effective methods for dealing with panicked victims.