‘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.
Phoenix,Arizona, February 24 —
A 4-year-old girl was in critical condition after she was found in an apartment complex swimming pool in Ahwatukee.
Harris County, Texas, March 2 —
A 3-year-old died after she was found unresponsive in her apartment complex pool. Family members had been at work and her teenage sibling was watching her when she went missing.
Osceola County, Florida, March 10 –
A 2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased 4 days after he was found unresponsive in the hot tub while he was in the pool area with his parents at the Airbnb where the family was vacationing from out of the country.
