‘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.

Goodyear, Arizona, August 24 –

A 5-year-old boy died the day after being pulled from a swimming pool.

Long Island, New York, August 24 –

5-year-old Mason Hammil was found by his mother in their backyard pool. He was pronounced dead the following day.

Portland, Oregon, August 25 –

A girl of unknown age drowned in the Montavilla Outdoor Pool. Lifeguards were on duty when it happened.

Davenport, Florida, August 27 –

A 2-year-old boy drowned in a neighborhood pool.

Flagler County, Florida, September 3 –

A 19-month-old boy drowned in the pool of a friend’s house where his family was staying because there home flooded.

Austin, Texas, September 3 –

A child drowned in a neighborhood swimming pool. No other details were provided.

Chichester Township, Pennsylvania, September 3 –

A 2-year-old boy was attending a family gathering when he slipped the attention of family members and drowned in an above ground pool.

Avondale, Arizona, September 9 –

A 2-year-old boy was pulled from a backyard pool and died at the hospital.

Nashville, Tennessee, September 9 –

A 4-year-old boy drowned while attending abirthdaypartywhenheslipped into the pool, unnoticed by others.

Council Bluffs, Iowa, September 11 –

A 12-year-old boy drowned in a pool at a water park that was closed for the season. A staff member found his body first thing in the morning. Its believed the boy jumped the fence to access the pool.

Lawrence County, Ohio, September 13 –

A 3-year-old girl who was reported missing by her mother after she slipped out the front door was found unresponsive in an above ground pool a half mile from her home. She died at the hospital.