‘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 prmote 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.

Chandler, Arizona, May 18 —3-

year-old Trigg Kiser died six days after he was pulled unconscious from a residential swimming pool.

Osceola, County, Florida, May 19 —

A 10-year-old girl was pronounced deceased after she drowned while playing Marco polo in the swimming pool with her cousins. The incident occurred the day the child arrived in Florida to visit with relatives.

Polk County, Florida, May 22 —

A 1 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased 2 days after a near-drowning event that occurred when the toddler got out of the home undetected while the mother and child were at the home of a family friend.

Galveston, Texas, May 23 —

A 23-month-old girl died a day after she was pulled unresponsive from a swimming pool by her caretaker.

Arlington, Texas, May 25 —

3-year-old Alexander Velasquez died at the hospital after his family found him in the swimming pool.