‘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.
Chandler, Arizona, October 10 —
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced dead after he was pulled from the family pool by his parents.
Southgate, Michigan, October 20 —
13-year-old Chance Coy died days after he was pulled from a hotel swimming pool. The teen was swimming with friends at a party when the incident occurred.
Palm Beach County, Florida, October 27 —
Two boys, ages 2 and 3, were pronounced dead at the hospital after they were found unresponsive in a neighbor’s swimming pool.
They were playing in a screened-in patio when their grandmother, who was babysitting, noticed they were no longer there. She searched for 30 minutes and then reported them missing from the home.
Louisville, Kentucky, November 1 —
A 2-year-old drowned in a residential swimming pool. The child was taken to the hospital but pronounced dead.
Houston, Texas, November 5 —
A 6-year-old girl drowned in one of the pools at the Margaritaville Lake Resort. Although the resort does have lifeguards, because it is off-season, not all of the pools were staffed, and it wasn’t clear if the pool she had been swimming in was staffed at the time.
Seminole County, Florida, November 6 —
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
