‘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.
Beaumont, Texas, September 27 —
3-year-old Syaire Wardlow was found at the bottom of an apartment complex swimming pool during a missing child search. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
——— Temecula, California, September 27 —
A 3-year-old girl, who had been reported missing, was found in a neighbor’s swimming pool.
——— Duval County, Florida, October 5 —
A 2 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased 12 days after she was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when she and her younger sibling were left outside unsupervised while their mother briefly went back in the home.
——— Polk County, Georgia, October 8 —
A 6-year-old girl reported missing from a school field trip was discovered drowned at a residential pool.
——— Orange County, Florida, October 16 —
A 4-year-old child was pronounced deceased 3 days after he was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected while the father was in the bathroom.
——— Gautier, Mississippi, October 20 —
Two brothers, ages 2 and 5, drowned in a swimming pool. Police did not provide additional details.
——— Saint Lucie County, Florida, October 22 —
A 3-year-old child recently diagnosed with autism was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the grandparents while he and his mother were housesitting.
——— Pierce Township, Ohio, October 23 —
A 4-year-old autistic child remains on a ventilator after being found in an aboveground swimming pool.
——— Lee County, Florida, October 26 —
A 6-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the swimming pool at his grandmother's home.
