‘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, and 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.
Escambia, Florida, September 5 —
A 6-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while at a relative’s home.
Hennepin County, Minnesota, September 6 —
2-year-old Mi-Khiel King Royal McKinney drowned in a home swimming pool. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Okaloosa, Florida, September 7 —
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced deceased 3 days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while the family was vacationing with a church group from out of state.
Toledo, Ohio, September 9 —
A day after 3-year-old Braylen Noble was reported missing by his grandmother his body was found in her apartment’s swimming pool.
The boy had autism and was non-verbal and the grandmother believed the boy fell or jumped from an open third-floor window.
Belleville, Illinois, September 9 —
2-year-old Bryce Coleman was found in the family pool by his mother.
The boy had been sleeping with his mother, woke up and wandered outside. Deputies arrived to find relatives performing CPR but the boy was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Lake, Florida, September 12 —
A 1 1/2-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Braceville, Illinois, September 12 —
A 5-year-old girl drowned while swimming in a home pool.
EMTs arrived to find someone performing CPR. The girl and her family were in town for a family gathering.
