‘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 the 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.

Phoenix, Arizona, November 25 —

2-year-old Rosemary Solis died after she was pulled from a home pool where she had been submerged for an unknown period of time.

Phoenix, Arizona, November 25 —

A 22-month-old boy was found floating face down in an unfenced Airbnb swimming pool after his family, who was watching a movie, noticed him missing. He survived.

Orlando, Florida, November 29 —

A 1-year-old boy drowned in a home swimming pool while in the care of his grandmother. He was taken to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Jacksonville, Florida, December 4 —

A 2-year-old child wandered away from home and drowned in a neighbor’s pool. Paramedics arrived but life saving measures were not successful.

Pulaski County, Virginia, December 6 —

A 5-year-old boy found unresponsive in a YMCA pool died later at the hospital.