Water Safety
As of September 22, 2020, there have been a total of 69 drownings this year in Texas for individuals ages 18 and under. That is 69 too many; 53 of the 69 were children ages 4 and under. Drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death in children of all ages and the #1 cause of death of children ages 1-4. Especially now during these trying times, water safety must be a TOP PRIOITY for everyone--children and adults alike. Every day in the United States, 10 people drown, totaling 3,650 people each year. While swim lessons don’t necessarily prevent drownings and are not a substitute for adult supervision, it is important to teach children and adults to swim. To ensure that no family suffers a tragic loss due to drowning, here are some helpful tips to keep you and your family safe:
■ SUPERVISE: Never leave children unsupervised near a body of water,
the pool and alarms that sound an alert when someone enters the pool. Don’t assume that these actions will always prevent your child from getting in a pool. Children are very intelligent and determined, especially those ages 4 and under. They will
including a bath. If children are near water, you should never presume that someone else is supervising them. Assign an adult Water Guardian whose sole responsibility is to watch children who are in, near or around water. The role of an adult Water Guardian differs from that of a lifeguard. The Water Guardian’s role is to watch and PREVENT emergencies. A lifeguard is trained to rescue in the event of an emergency. Teach children to stay away fromwater unless accompanied by a qualified adult who knows how to swim, stays within arm’s reach of the child and maintains eye to eye contact with the child. Have a phone available for emergencies. DO NOT talk, text, or surf the Internet while you are on Water Guardian duty! Do not rely on air-filled or foam toys, such as water wings, noodles or inner tubes, to keep children safe. ■ LEARN CPR: While at this time it could be hard to participate in a CPR class, there are still options available to learn lifesaving procedures. There are many videos that teach the basics of CPR and many songs to help keep you at the right rate of compressions (for example, “Stayin’ Alive” by the Bee Gees and “I Will Survive” by Gloria Gaynor). ■ AVOID ALCOHOL: Don’t drink alcohol when you are boating, swimming or supervising children who are swimming or playing in water. ■ FENCE IN HOME POOLS AND ADD ALARMS: Install a fence at least 4 feet tall that separates the pool area from the house and yard. Install self-closing and self-latching gates that open away from
find whatever is available to stack in order to climb over a fence and into the pool. Make sure that buckets, boxes and anything that can be stacked are safely stored away behind locked doors. ■ STAY IN DESIGNATED AREAS: At public beaches and pools, swim only in areas set aside for swimming. At beaches, pay attention to posted warnings about unsafe swimming conditions. Teach children to stay away from drains, and don’t allow children to swim in drainage ditches or other water-filled areas not intended for swimming. ■ KEEP BATHROOM DOORS CLOSED: Unfortunately, 10 of the 53 child drownings in Texas so far this year have been bathtub-related. Six of those 10 were children under the age of 2. DO NOT talk, text, or surf the Web while your children are taking a bath. DO NOT leave the bathroom to answer your phone if it goes off in another room and leave your children unattended. Install a safety latch or doorknob cover on the outside of the door and toilet safety locks.
Help eliminate drowning and save lives so no family suffers such a tragic loss. No one-- adult nor child-- should become a drowning statistic. For more information: check out helpandhope.org , watersafetyusa.org , and stopdrowningnow.org .
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