‘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.
Zachary, Louisiana, May 19 —
A 4-year-old girl drowned while attending a graduation party at a community pool.
Wilmington, Illinois, May 15 —
A 3-year-old boy died at the hospital after being rescued from a home pool.
Fairfax, Virginia, May 24 —
A child died at the hospital after drowning in a private pool.
Decatur, Illinois, May 28 –
3-year-old Kaseyn Clifton died after drowning in a backyard swimming pool while being watched by his aunt. The boy unlocked a sliding glass door to access the pool.
Lake County, Florida, May 29 —
A 2 1/2-year-old child was pronounced deceased 4 days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool during a family get together.
BrowardCounty,Florida,May29–
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased 4 days after he was pulled out of the swimming pool unresponsive. The floatation device the child was in caused the child to flip over and be upside-down under the water.
Union Township, Ohio, June 3 —
3-year-old Maliyah Link drowned in a private swimming pool.
Harris County, Texas, June 4 —
A 3-year-old child who drowned in a swimming pool and was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Yuma, Arizona, June 5 —
A 2-year-old girl was in critical
condition after she was found in a home pool.
Orange County, Florida, June 6 —
A 7-year-old child was pronounced deceased the day after he was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool.
Seminole County, Florida, June 6 –
An 8-year-old autistic child was pronounced deceased 1 week after she was found unresponsive and at the bottom of the family's swimming pool where she had been swimming with a younger sibling.
Polk County, Florida, June 9 —
A 1-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 to return to where he and his siblings were previously swimming.
