‘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.
Otsego County, Michigan, July 6 —
A 1-year-old boy died at the hospital after he was found floating in an aboveground pool. His mother was inside the house at the time while the boy and other children were outside playing on a trampoline. No one noticed the boy access the ladder to the pool.
Jacksonville, Florida, July 11 —
11-year-old Amariell Simone Freeman was found face down in an apartment pool and died at the hospital. The girl’s mother said she didn’t know her children were at the pool.
Surprise, Arizona, July 12 —
A 3-year-old girl drowned in her home’s pool during the time she and her mother normally took a nap. The mother fell asleep, and when another family member came home, the girl was discovered in the pool, where she may have been for 3 hours.
Hitchcock, Texas, July 12 —
A 5-year-old autistic girl wandered out of her house and drowned in the family pool. The girl’s father was home and found her in the pool.
Hayes Township, Michigan, July 13 —
A1-year-old boy died at the hospital after being found unresponsive in an aboveground swimming pool by his mother. Other children were outside with the boy while his mother was inside the home, but they didn’t see the boy get into the pool.
Kearns, Utah, July 15 —
A 15-month-old was pronounced dead at the hospital after drowning in a home pool near where the child and other children were playing outside.
Houston, Texas, July 17 —
3-year-old Camilla Rose Cannon slipped on a ladder and fell into the aboveground pool where she had been swimming with her family at a friend’s house. Although her family reacted instantly with chest compressions and CPR, the girl did not survive.
St. Louis, Missouri, July 20 —
6-year-old Travone Mister, Jr. died after he was found in the pool of the summer camp he was attending.
Soap Lake, Washington, July 20 —
UPS driver Brian Walters was making a delivery when a saw a drowning 7-year-old girl and rushed to help. The man is credited with saving the girl’s life after successfully performing CPR.
Louisville, Kentucky, July 22 —
5-year-old Hayder Rasheed went missing from his house and was found by police in a neighbor’s pool. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Phoenix, Arizona, July 22 —
A 5-year-old boy was dragged from an apartment pool by a bystander who started CPR. The boy was taken to the hospital where he died.
