‘NOT ON MY WATCH’
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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 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.
Lake City, South Carolina, November 1 —
A 2-year-old died six days after drowning in a four foot deep pool. The child wandered out of the home and into the pool where his mother found him and called 911.
Snowmass Village, Colorado, November 4 —
Two visitors, a man and woman in their early 30s, were found dead in a condo complex hot tub. Both were from out of state. It is believed they had been dead for over three days. The hot tub is outside and in a secluded area. Toxicology reports may shed some light on the manner of the deaths.
Lee County, Florida, November 6 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased 6 days after he was found unresponsive in his family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Polk County, Florida, November 11 —
A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the hot tub at an Air BNB where the family was visiting with friends. At the time of the incident, the child was being cared for by a family friend when she got out of the home undetected.
Marion County, Florida, November 11 —
A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.
Charlotte County, Florida, November 11 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Shreveport, Louisiana, November 17 —
17-month-old Ryan C. White died an hour and a half after he was discovered in a residential swimming pool. The incident is under investigation.
