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.
Polk County, Florida, September 9 –
A 4-year-old boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool while the mother and child were visiting with a friend. 2-year-old Allaya Nut got out of a house unsupervised and drowned in the home’s pool.
She was in critical condition for days before passing away.
Hernando County, Florida, September 15 –
1-year-old child was pronounced deceased 10 days after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the mother and child were visiting as a relative’s home.
Hillsborough County, Florida, September 18 –
1-year-old boy was pronounced deceased the day after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the family was visiting as a relative’s home from out of state.
Polk County, Florida, September 20 –
A 6-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while at his father’s home.
At the time of the incident, there was an open investigation involving the other parent’s household.
Orange County, Florida, September 20 –
A 1 1/ 2- year- old girl was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected while being watched by her grandmother.
Jacksonville, Florida, September 21 –
A women in her 30’s was pronounced dead at the scene after she was found in her apartment complex swimming pool.
Phoenix, Arizona, September 24 –
A 70-year-old man died after he was pulled from the bottom of a swimming pool.
Springfield, Pennsylvania, September 25 –
1-year-old Leon William Arnold was reported missing and later found in a backyard pool.
He died in the hospital more than a month later.
Chillicothe, Ohio, September 10 –