‘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.
Osceola County, Florida, February 26 —
A 4-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at a vacation home where the family was staying while visiting from out of state.
Polk, County February 27 —
A 5-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while at a birthday party with relatives.
Lee County, Florida, February 28 —
3-year-old Maddie Wagenhoffer was struggling to breathe on her own after she fell into her backyard pool. Her family is not sure how she got into the backyard or how long she was under water.
Coral Springs, Florida, March 6 —
1-year-old was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
South Padre Island, Texas, March 12 —
A 4-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool. A parent found the child in the water, pulled him out and attempted to resuscitate him but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Ocala, Florida, March 15 —
A 1 ½ -year-old girl’s condition is unknown after she was pulled from a swimming pool.
The child’s mother called 911 after finding her in the pool and first responders started CPR before she was hospitalized.
