‘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.

Todd County, Kentucky,April 24 —

Amissing child was found by officers floating in a backyard swimming pool. The child was pronounced dead after 30 minutes of attempted resuscitation.

Shreveport, Louisiana, April 24 —

15-year-old Christian Muliira was found at the bottom of an apartment swimming pool. He was pronounced dead after 30 minutes in the emergency room.

Laurel County, Kentucky, April 25 —

A 5-year-old who had gone missing was found by officers in a swimming pool. CPR was started and the child regained a pulse and breathing.

Madison County, Georgia, April 26 –

A nearly 2-year-old girl died in an above-ground pool after being in the pool for an unknown length of time. Her mother and grandfather were home at the time and she was found by her 5-year-old brother.

Decatur, Alabama, April 28 —

A 4-year-old boy drowned in a home’s swimming pool. The boy was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Palm Beach, Florida, April 28 —

A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive and floating in the family’s swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.

Brunswick, Ohio, May 3 —

A 2-year-old girl drowned in a home pool. First responders took her to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.

Galveston, Texas, May 4 —

33-year-old Alissa Hunter and her 3-year-old daughter, Kylie Doyle drowned at the Roadway Inn. The father was also at the pool with his son and screamed for help. Bystanders attempted CPR but neither survived.

Laurens County, South Carolina, May 7 –

3-year-old Lucas David Love drowned in a home swimming pool.

Jacksonville, Florida, May 7 —

A small child who was playing with family members in a park was found unconscious in a nearby apartment complex pool. It was unclear how the boy, who was autistic, accessed the fenced pool. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Osceola, Florida, May 7 –

A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at the Air B& B were the family was vacationing.

Duval, Florida, May 8 —

A 12-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was observed drowning in a neighborhood swimming pool.