Ten Ways to Save Your Children from Drowning this Summer
Simple tips to save a life
Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1–4, and the second cause of accidental death in children 15 and under (car accidents are #1). There will be approximately 750 children who drown this year, and some 375 of them will drown within 25 yards of an adult.
With Memorial Day the official start of summer and pool season, we are reminded that our vigilance, both as parents and public safety and homeland security personnel, is especially important. With the lives of children at stake, and the potential for diversion of the police, fire, and emergency medical resources necessary to respond to these potentially tragic incidents, 5 ‘n Dime thought it would be a good idea to review a few easy safety tips when enjoying the water.
1. Never leave children unattended in or near water
This seems like a no-brainer, but there are plenty of examples of a child drowning while their parent stepped away, went inside for a glass of water, or found themselves otherwise distracted in some way. The easiest tip of all — stay attentive to the little ones. It takes only a moment for something to happen that begins a road to potential tragedy. You can be there to be sure that doesn’t happen.
2. Teach children how to swim
There are so many options for swimming lessons, from sponsored classes to parent-taught, basic to advanced. While there is some debate, you can start your child in swim lessons as early as six months, and a parent should absolutely should have a child in lessons by his or her first birthday, if possible. A child who has been taught to swim will be taught valuable lessons about safety in the water, and will have at least a minimum amount of experience to make the difference between life and death. (It’s not a bad idea to take adult swimming lessons, too — for the first time if you haven’t, or as a refresher, especially if it includes basic or advanced safety and rescue components.)
3. Teach children to stay away from drains
Few people think about one of the silent dangers of pools, especially for children: drains. Children’s hair, limbs, bathing suits, and even attached pool accessories, can get stuck in drains or suction openings, especially if the cover is loose or broken. This best option is to teach your children to simply stay away from drains at all times, as a matter of practice. In fact, this is so important that it gets emphasized all on its own in the next section.
4. Ensure all pools and spas have compliant drain covers
There is an entire Federal Act — the Pool and Spa Safety Act — created because of children dying as a result of what is called “suction entrapment.” A little girl died tragically and unnecessarily simply from a faulty drain cover in a hot tub. Under the law, all public pools and spas must have drain grates or covers, but this does not mean the danger is no longer present. If your local pool does not have compliant drain covers, please report it. Why? Take a look:
5. Install proper barriers, covers, and alarms on and around your pool or spa
We know that kids get into everything and anything that is enticing (which, let’s be honest, is by definition everything they shouldn’t be getting into). Pools are incredibly enticing. Please ensure that any fencing is at least four feet high and completely surrounds your pool or spa. The gate to the fence should be self-latching and self-locking. Additionally, there are pool alarms for doors that lead to the pool. Most jurisdictions have laws that require proper safety measures, but even if these requirements are not in place for some reason, be aware that pools are what is generally considered an “attractive nuisance” — basically, even if the safety of children isn’t enough to convince you to discourage entry, you may end up being legally liable for injuries and damages should tragedy strike.
6. Know how to perform CPR on children and adults
In the event of an injury or drowning event, emergency personnel will likely be called to respond, but the moments between then and the public safety personnel arriving is critical to survival. Knowing how to, at a minimum, maintain and stabilize a victim can mean the critical difference between life and death.
7. Learn the signs of drowning
Do you know when someone is drowning? Be careful with this one — you actually might not. Contrary to popular belief, most individuals who are drowning don’t splash and scream. More often than not, they will never make a sound. They’ll never call out for help, waive their arms, or otherwise get your attention. In fact, they physiologically can’t — and that’s why your awareness is so important. Take a moment to read the short article below and watch the included videos. We guarantee it is worth the few moments of your time, and it could save a life.
8. Have a phone charged and close by at all times
This is a very simple tip, but so important: if something does happen, you may need to call 911 immediately. Keeping a cordless or mobile phone near you at all times, fully charged and ready, means you can contact emergency services while administering first aid or CPR to stabilize a victim until help arrives. Running into the house, or otherwise trying to locate a phone to contact EMS or other emergency personnel, while under a stressful or panicked situation, is a recipe for disaster.
9. Watch this
Take just one short minute to review this video. Please.
10. Pledge to pool safely!
We in public service do care very much for the health and safety of citizens. It’s what we do. Among other federal, state, and local resources across the nation that are available to you, we’d like to highlight one provided by U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission called Pool SAFELY, designed to help you and your child learn about pool safety. Many of the ideas from this list come from this website, and we recommend it highly. The website has posters to color, temporary tattoos, and other fun activities that will help you teach your child about pool safety. You may learn a few tips as well. We did.
Enjoy the summer, and feel free to add your own safety tips and resources with us. Please share this story.
