‘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.
Plainfield, Indiana, March 29 –
A 2-year-old girl died after drowning at an aquatic center. First responders arrived on the scene to find lifeguards administering lifesaving aid.
Harris County, Texas, March 30 –
3-year-old Leilani Montarosa has sustained some brain damage after falling into a home pool during a family gathering for her grandmother’s birthday party. She was admitted to the ICU.
Osceola County, Florida, March 30 –
A 3 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the Airbnb vacation home undetected. The incident occurred while the family was visiting from another state.
Addis, Louisiana, April 3 –
A 3-year-old girl drowned while swimming in a pool. She was airlifted to a hospital where she was pronounced dead.
Anaheim, California, April 3 –
A 16-year-old male Chinese exchange student was pronounced dead at the hospital after drowning in his host family’s home pool.
Broward County, Florida, April 4 –
A 2- year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Lee County, Florida, April 5 – A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the family was packing their car to leave the Airbnb where they were staying.
Glenview, Illinois, April 6 –
4-year-old Carter E. Patterson died after a drowning incident at a hotel pool
Broward County, Florida, April 9 –
A 1 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Okaloosa County, Florida April 9 –
A 2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased three days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
