‘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.

Graham County, Arizona, October 7 —

85-year-old Anna Campbell drowned in the Safford Ranch Mobile Home Village swimming pool. CPR was attempted before she was declared dead at the scene.

Shelbyville, Tennessee, October 9 —

41-year-old Emmanuel Topps drowned in a home swimming pool.

Palm Beach, Florida, October 9 —

A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased 3 days after he was found in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.

Volusia, Florida, October 13 —

A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased four days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.

Osceola, Florida, October 17 —

A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased 2 weeks after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while in the care of her grandmother.