‘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.
Montgomery County, Texas, June 6 —
A 3-year-old was hospitalized after a drowning incident at an apartment pool.
The child’s condition is unknown.
Midvale, Utah, June 10 —
18-year-old Gabe Hickenlooper, drowned in an apartment complex swimming pool.
The man was at the pool with friends showing them how long he could hold his breath.
Akron, Ohio, June 12 —
A 4-year-old girl died after she was pulled from an above-ground pool.
Residents were home having a family gathering, and the girl had been in and out of the pool all day.
Tempe, Arizona, June 12 —
A 2-year-old boy died after drowning in a backyard pool.
The child was found floating in the water and pronounced dead at the hospital.
Methuen, Massachusetts, June 12 —
A 9-year-old girl was in critical condition after she was found in the family pool.
Police arrived to find family members preforming CPR.
Pollok, Texas, June 12 —
A 10-year-old boy died at the hospital after drowning in a home pool.
Chino Hills, California, June 13 —
2-year-old Melanie Garcia died at the hospital after her parents found her unresponsive in the home’s pool.
Hernando, Florida, June 13 —
A 3-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while in the care of a family friend.
Louisville, Kentucky, June 13 —
A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition after she was pulled from a residential pool. Officers arrived to find family members performing CPR on the girl and resuscitated, before being transported to the hospital where she was listed in critical condition.
Lafayette, Louisiana, June 14 —
A 5-year-old boy died after drowning in a hotel pool. Police were called to a missing child report and conducted a search of the property where they found the boy dead in the pool.
Orlando, Florida, June 17 —
A 14-year-old boy died at the hospital after he was rescued from a hotel pool.
Wrentham, Massachusetts, June 19 —
1-year-old Angelo Nicoloro drowned in an aboveground pool during a family gathering.
Police arrived to find family members performing CPR on the boy. The boy was one of seven young siblings and was not noticed missing for 10 minutes during the chaos of the day.
