‘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.

Scottsdale, Arizona, December 24 —

A toddler died at the hospital after being pulled from a home swimming pool.

Broward, Florida, December 30 —

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

Harris County, Texas, January 1 —

A 5-year-old boy drowned in a home pool. The boy’s mother was watching the child in the kitchen but at some point he was found in the pool.

Palm City, Florida, January 2 —

31-year-old Aja Morgan was found at the bottom of a swimming pool by her boyfriend after he awoke from sleeping. Police describe the incident as an accident.

Palm Springs, California, January 8 —

59-year-old Timothy Seager drowned in the pool at the Sonder V Hotel. First responders pronounced him dead on arrival.

Buffalo, New York, January 6 —

A 3-year-old girl died in a pool at a hotel where her family went after they lost power during the recent blizzard.