‘NOT ON MY WATCH’
Drowning injuries and fatalities are so commonplace that the stories could fill up whole newspapers.
The CDC estimates that about 10 people die from drowning in the U. S. every day.
Children ages 1 through 4 have the highest drowning rates and most of those drownings happen in home swimming pools.
Drowning events are real, tragic, frequently preventable, and much more than just statistics.
There are measures that service technicians can take to promote drowning awareness.
Speak to parents about removing toys and other temptations from the pool area.
Encourage parents to learn about layers of protection: pool covers, gates and alarms.
Remind parents there is no substitution for total supervision around the pool area.
Service professionals are in peoples’ backyards every day, in a unique position to point out danger areas, but may not do so unless the drowning problem is brought home to them.
To that end, the following is a description of just some of the drowning incidents that have recently occurred.
Butle County, Ohio, June 12 —
3-year-old Miles Farmer drown in his family’s pool. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Glen Cove, Long Island, June 14 —
A 54-year-old man is dead after he and his 12-yearold son were found unresponsive in a swimming pool.
CPR was started and both were rushed to the hospital. The boy’s condition was unknown.
Yuma, Arizona, June 14 —
A 3-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after drowning in his home pool.
Emergency crews found bystanders performing CPR on the boy, who was believed to have accessed the water via a doggy door.
Vermillion County, Indiana, June 14 —
A 2-year-old girl went missing from the family basketball game and was found in their above ground pool.
The girl’s father began CPR and she was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.
San Antonio, Texas, June 14 —
4-year-old Leena Arredondo drowned at a family gathering.
The girl is believed to have slipped into a pool after the family left the pool to eat.
Yuma, Arizona, June 20 —
A 2-year-old boy drowned in his home’s pool. He was believed to have been in bed and may have accessed the pool through the doggy door.
Des Moines, Iowa, June 21 —
A 3-year-old is alive thanks to the quick response of Garrett Sheppard, a bystander at the apartment complex pool. He heard screaming and saw an adult pulling the child out of the water and he came over and started CPR. The 3-year-old spent the night in the hospital, but is fine.
East Brunswick, New Jersey, June 22 —
An 8-year-old girl, her mother and grandfather found dead in the pool of their New Jersey home, died as a result of accidental drowning, according to the medical examiner. The family had moved into the house 20 days earlier. The victims were identified as as Bharat Patel, 62, his daughter-in-law Nisha Patel, 33, and her 8-year-old daughter. Officers said none of the victims could swim.
Iowa Park, Texas, June 22 —
An 18-month-old girl drowned in a swimming pool. Her father found her in the water and attempted CPR beforeshewastakentothehospitalandpronounceddead.
Suffolk County, Long Island, June 24 –
76-year-old Carol-Jean Werkstell was found unresponsive in her neighbor’s pool. Police responded to a resident’s call that there was a woman floating in his pool. She was pronounced dead at the hospital.
