‘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.

Miami-Dade, Florida, April 7 —

A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when she gained access to the water while outside with family members.

Osceola, Florida, April 11 —

A 6-year-old child was pronounced deceased 3 days after she was hospitalized when she was found unresponsive at a resort swimming pool where the family was vacationing from another state.

Rancho Cordova, California, April 19 —

A man was found dead at a Hampton Inn swimming pool.

Los Angeles, California, April 21 —

3-year-old Kai Bernabe was pulled unresponsive from a backyard swimming pool and taken to the hospital where he died. His twin brother was in critical condition.

Maricopa, Arizona, April 21 —

A 55-year-old man drowned in a home swimming pool.

A family member pulled the man from the pool before crews arrived to take him to the hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.