‘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.
Marion County, Florida, April 23 —
A 5-year-old child was pronounced deceased 6 days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected through the doggy door.
Ocala, Florida, April 25 —
5-year-old Alexander Everts died at the hospital several days after being found in his home’s pool. The boy was autistic and non-verbal. His organs were donated to other children.
Hillsborough County, Florida, April 25 —
A3 1/ 2– year-old boy was pronounced deceased two days after he was discovered floating in a swimming pool while in the care of a relative.
Phoenix, Arizona, April 25 —
A 3-year-old boy was taken to the hospital in critical condition after being pulled from a home pool.
Killen, Alabama, April 25 —
A nearly 3-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the hospital after drowning in her home’s pool. The girl’s father discovered her in the pool, got her out, and started CPR.
Phoenix, Arizona, April 28 —
A2-year-old boy died at the hospital after he was found unconscious and not breathing in a swimming pool.
Phoenix, Arizona, May 3 —
3-year-old twin sisters, Valentina and Penelope Ruiz, died at the hospital after falling into their home pool. First responders arrived to find their desperate father attempting to do CPR on both of them.
Duval County, Florida, May 5 —
A 7-year-old girl was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the water during a pool party hosted by the school for another student.
Limestone County, Alabama, May 5 —
A 2-year-old girl died at the hospital after she was found at the bottom of a pool. The initial 911 call was for a missing child.
Lancaster, Pennsylvania, May 5 —
A 3-year-old boy drowned in a neighbor’s pool. The child walked from his house without his family’s knowledge. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
