‘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.
Turlock, California, August 19 —
17-year-old Angel Dominguez died after drowning in the high school pool. The pool was locked up for the evening when some students got in.
Polk, Florida, August 21 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased two days after he was found unresponsive in a relative’s swimming pool where he and his family were visiting from out of state.
Hillsborough, Florida, August 22 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased the day after she was admitted to the hospital when she was found unresponsive in a relative’s swimming pool.
Wilson, North Carolina, August 23 —
2-year-old Andres Zamoras died in a residential pool while under the care of a babysitter. The child’s 10-yearold sister found him dead in the pool.
Sioux City, Iowa, August 24 —
A 2-year-old was in critical condition after being found in a
pool that was in the process of being drained.
Auburn, Maine, August 27 —
A 2-year-old drowned in a residential swimming pool.
Rio Bravo, Texas, August 27 —
A 5-year-old boy drowned in a residential swimming pool during a pool party. First responders performed CPR before he was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead.
Towson, Mayland, August 27 —
15-year-old Jayden Mejia died of drowning after breaking into a gated and locked private athletic club pool.
Miami-Dade, Florida, August 31 —
1 1/ 2– year-old was pronounced deceased 3 days after he and an older child were found unresponsive in the swimming pool while the families were visiting at a relative’s home. The older child survived.
Maricopa, Arizona, September 2 —
A 1-year-old boy was in critical condition after he was pulled from a home swimming pool.
Phoenix, Arizona, September 3 —
A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition after family members pulled him from a residential pool.
New Hampton, New Hampshire, September 3 —
One month after a grieving mother lost a 2-year-old son to drowning in an aboveground pool, the woman was presented with the opportunity to save another drowning child.
Nicole Allen and her sister Heather, who is a registered nurse, were bystanders at a campground pool when a boy called out for help, cradling an unresponsive 9-year-old girl. The two women performed CPR and saved the girl’s life.
Fontana, California, September 4 —
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced dead after he was found unresponsive in a home’s swimming pool.
