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.
Birmingham, Alabama, May 22 — 3-year-old Irmani Ray drowned at the Drury Inn swimming pool where she had been swimming with her family.
San Antonio, Texas, May 28 —
An 8-year-old boy was in critical condition after his uncle found him face down in the pool. The boy and his parents were from out of town visiting family.
Feeding Hills, Massachusetts, May 29 —
A 17-year-old male was found unresponsive in a home swimming pool. Life-saving measures were unsuccessful.
MadisonCounty,Alabama,June2—
A 1-year-old girl drowned in an aboveground pool.
Covington, Kentucky, June 4 —
A nearly 2-year-old girl drowned in a swimmingpoolatherfosterfamily’shome.
Hillsborough, Florida, June 4 —
A 2-year-old child was removed from life support and pronounced deceased 9 days after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool while the family was vacationing in Florida from another state.
Pinellas, Florida, June 4 —
A 4-year-old child was pronounced deceased the day after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool where she was swimming with other children.
Leon, Florida, June 5 —
A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in an above-ground swimming pool at a friend’s home where he and his mother were visiting.
Johns Creek, Georgia, June 5 —
A 16-year-old girl drowned in a community swimming pool. Her brother was recovering after the incident. A witness noticed them both underwater and three men rushed in to rescue them.
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania, June 6 —
19-year-old Caiden Barber drowned in a YMCA pool.
Tarkington, Texas, June 10 —
A 3-year-old girl drowned in her home’s pool while the family was setting up for a birthday party.
Perris, California, June 13 —
A 2-year-old boy drowned in a backyard pool and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
