‘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.
Fresno, California, July 4 —
A 2-year-old girl was in critical condition after a drowning incident in a home jump house pool.
Phoenix, Arizona, July 8 —
An unidentified Hispanic male teenager between 15 and 18 yearsold was found dead in an apartment complex pool.
Lake County, Florida, July 10 —
A 1 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool while at his grandmother's house.
Osceola County, Florida, July 10 —
A 2 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased 9 days after he was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool.
Lake County, Florida, July 11 —
A 5-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool where he was swimming with 4 – 5 other children at an Airbnb where several family members were vacationing from another state.
OrangeCounty,Florida,July12—
A 3 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased 5 days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected while the family was vacationing from another state.
Polk County, Florida, July 12 —
A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased 5 days after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at the Airbnb where the family was vacationing from another state. The incident occurred right after the mother took the child out of the swimming pool and then went to assist the father taking out the trash.
Brockton, Massachussetts, July 13 —
4-year-old Hendrix Cooley-Walker drowned in a home’s aboveground swimming pool.
Victorville, California, July 15 —
A 3-year-old girl who had been reported missing was found in a home pool. She died at the hospital.
Broward County, Florida, July 16 —
A 5 1/ 2– year-old autistic child was pronounced deceased 9 days after he was found unresponsive in a neighbor's swimming pool when he left the home undetected.
Wayne, New Jersey, July 18 —
A 5-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after he left his house unaccompanied and was found floating in a neighbor’s pool.
Lawrence, Massachussetts, July 18 —
A toddler rescued from a pool and hospitalized in stable condition later died from their injuries.
Manatee County, Florida, July 19 —
A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive at the bottom of a community swimming pool where he and his siblings were left to swim unattended.
Palm Beach County, Florida, July 19 —
A 2 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when he was left unattended for a brief period of time.
Evans, Georgia, July 19 —
4-year-old Harang Jeo died at the hospital four days after drowning in a neighborhood pool.
Surfside Beach, South Carolina, July 21 – 2-year-old Bennett Thompson died at the hospital after drowning in his home pool.
Fairfield, Connecticut, July 23 —
2-year-old Anthony Jones died a week after he was pulled unconscious from a backyard pool.
Lake County, Florida, July 23 —
A 3 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.
Houston, Texas, July 25 —
The body of a 5-year-old girl was found by a late-night swimmer in their apartment complex pool.
Hershey,Pennsylvania,July25—
A 9-year-old girl died at the hospital after drowning in the wave pool at Hersheypark water park. Multiple lifeguards attempted lifesaving measures.
Brevard County, Florida, July 25 —
A 1 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
Brevard County, Florida, July 26 —
A 3-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the hotel swimming pool where the family was staying while visiting from another state.
Lee County, Florida, July 26 —
A 2 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool during a party.
Hockley, Texas, July 27 —
A2-year-old drowned in a backyard swimming pool.
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, July 28 —
2-year-old Mykhia Worthy drowned in a neighbor’s swimming pool after gaining unauthorized access.
Anderson County, South Carolina, July 29 —
17-month-old Jesse Alexander Williams died nearly a week after being found in a home pool.
