‘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.

Hurst, Texas, May 21 —

2-year-old Autumn Polley drowned in her home pool.

Townsend, Massachusetts, May 21 —

A 5-year-old was in critical condition after being pulled from an above ground pool.

Clarkstown, New York, May 22 —

A 2-year-old boy drowned in his home’s aboveground pool. Family members pulled him out and started CPR while waiting for first responders. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.

Biloxi, Mississippi, May 22 —

A two-year-old boy drowned in a swimming pool at the Margaritaville Resort while on vacation with his family. The boy was attending a football tournament and was swimming in the pool with friends following a game.

Phoenix, Arizona, May 28 —

13-year-old Darryl Blackman died 2 days after being pulled from an Embassy Suites pool.

Brookline, Massachusetts, May 30 —

A 4-year-old boy drowned in a home’s swimming pool. Several other children were in the pool at the time and adults were close by. He was pronounced dead the following morning.

Cecil County, Maryland, May 30 –

A 2-year-old boy drowned in a pool with adults present nearby.

Chandler, Arizona, May 31 –

A 2-year-old girl was taken to the

hospital after being pulled from a home pool and died at the hospital.

Orange County, Florida, May 31 —

A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.

Seminole, Florida, June 2 –

A 1 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool during a family bar-be-que.

Las Vegas, Nevada, June 3 —

A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition after being pulled from a mobile home park pool.

Ogden, Utah, June 3 —

10-year-old Grace Grunander died after drowning in the pool at the Ogden Golf and Country Club.

Miami-Dade, Florida, June 4 —

A 3 1/ 2- year- o ld child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive and submerged in the swimming pool after getting out of the home undetected.

Las Vegas, Nevada, June 4 —

A 6-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after being pulled unresponsive from a home pool.

Lake, Florida, June 6 —

A 2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased four days after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.