‘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.

Santa Ana, California, December 3 —

A 2-year-old boy was pronounced dead after being found in a neighbor’s pool.

Investigators determined that the toddler had entered the neighbor’s yard by climbing over toys and other items that were stacked against a block wall at the back of his family residence.

Osceola, Florida, December 25 —

A 4-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the vacation home undetected while the family was visiting from out of state.

Lee, Florida, December 26 —

A 2-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.