‘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.
Harford County, Maryland, July 25 —
A 4-year-old was found dead in a swimming pool after being reported missing. No other details were available.
Honolulu, Hawaii, July 27 —
A 2-year-old boy was found floating in his home’s pool. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, July 28 —
A 3-year-old boy died days after drowning in a Martha’s Vineyard country club pool
Indiana County, Pennsylvania, July 28 —
5-year-old Lenny Hatinda was found unresponsive by police in a swimming pool near his home after he was reported missing. He was taken to an area hospital and pronounced dead early the following day.
Freehold, New Jersey, July 30 —
30-year-old Guilebaldo Ramos was swimming with his co-workers in his employer’s pool when he was discovered at the bottom. CPR was attempted but he was pronounced dead at the scene.
Flagler, Florida, August 1 —
A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased 1 week after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while he was attending a pool party at a relative’s home.
Princeton, Indiana, August 3 —
A young girl pulled from the pool at the Princeton Aquatic Center was pronounced dead at the hospital. She was found during a private, after-hours event where lifeguards were present.
Friendswood, Texas, August 5 —
The body of a 13-year-old autistic teenage boy was found in Homeowner’s Association recreation pool. A family member had just discovered he was missing and arrived to find police already at the scene, called by a bystander.
Pleasant Grove, Utah, August 7 —
A 2-year-old boy was found face down by his parents in an above-ground pool. He was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Mesa, Arizona, August 8 —
A 3-year-old died after being pulled from a home pool. The girl had been swimming with a swimming vest with several other children. All of the adults were inside the house when they noticed her missing and when they came outside, the vest was on the pool deck.
Miami-Dade, Florida, August 12 —
A 1 1/ 2- year-old toddler was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when she got out of the residence undetected.
Pasco, Florida, August 15 —
A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased two days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while in the pool with his mother and siblings.
Phoenix, Arizona, August 16 —
A 3-year-old girl died at the hospital after being pulled from an apartment complex pool. Fire crews arrived to find a bystander performing CPR.
Miami-Dade, Florida — August 17 —
A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased three days after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, August 19 —
A 25-year-old man drown in his apartment complex pool and died at the hospital.
Phoenix, Arizona, August 21 —
A 2-year-old boy died after being found in his home’s swimming pool. A family member was performing CPR when first responders arrived and he was transported to the hospital where he died.
