‘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.
North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, April 21 —
4-year-old Lauchlin McMann died at the hospital 6 days after drowning in a hotel pool in the presence of numerous other swimmers.
Ocala, Florida, April 27 —
A 2-year-old has fully recovered after being rescued from a vacation rental pool by sheriff’s deputies who performed CPR.The boy accessed the pool through a sliding glass door to the patio.He wasn’t breathing when he was pulled from the pool.
Natchez, Mississippi, April 29 —
A 5-year-old drowned in the neighbor’s pool while the child’s stepfather was mowing the lawn.The pool had a fence but it was “old and busted up.” No additional identifying information was reported.
Galveston, Texas, April 30 —
A 4-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after drowning in a condominium pool.
Phoenix, Arizona, May 2 —
A man in his late 70’s died at the hospital after he was pulled from the Scottsdale Jewish Community Center swimming pool where he had a medical emergency.
