‘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.
Saint Johns County, Florida, April 12 —
A 6-year-old autistic girl was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the neighbor’s swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.
Broward County, Florida, April 14 —
A nearly 4-year-old autistic boy was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the apartment complex swimming pool where he was being watched by relatives.
Midland, Texas, April 14 —
A 4-year-old boy drowned in an apartment complex pool.
Polk County, Florida, April 14 —
A 5-year-old girl was pronounced deceased 3 days after she was found in the swimming pool when she got out of the Airbnb undetected where the family was vacationing from another state.
Broward County, Florida, April 15 —
A 1-year-old child was pronounced deceased 8 days after she was found unresponsive in the neighbor’s swimming pool where the family was visiting.
Bradenton, Florida, April 17 —
A 15-month-old boy drowned in a vacation rental pool an Arkansas family was visiting.
The boy gained access to the water after his mother fell asleep in a chair by the pool.
Orange County, Florida, April 19 —
A 2-year-old boy was pronounced deceased 3 days after he was found unresponsive in a hot tub at the hotel where the family was vacationing from another county.
The incident occurred while the child was in the pool area with other children and the parents went to assist a friend loading up their vehicle.
Lagrange, Georgia, April 21 –
A 2-year-old girl drowned in an apartment complex pool. Police were called to the apartment when a 2- and 4-year-old went missing from the apartment. The 4-year-old was found in the parking lot.
Mesa, Arizona, April 22 –
A 4-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after he was pulled from his home’s pool into which he had fallen.
Phoenix, Arizona, April 22 –
A 5-year-old boy was in critical condition after he was pulled from his apartment complex pool.
Vandalia, Ohio, April 22 –
A2 ½-year-old girl was pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive in her home’s pool.
