‘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.
Saint Lucie County, Florida, June 7 —
A 2 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected.
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Duval County, Florida, June 8 —
A 1 1/ 2– year- old child was pronounced deceased after he was found unresponsive in a neighbor's swimming pool when he got out of the home undetected and was reported missing.
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Pensacola, Florida, June 8 —
Two sisters, 8 and 5, drowned in a neighbors pool after going missing from their home.
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Panama City Beach, Florida, June 10 —
6-year-old Reece Dowdy, visiting from Kentucky, drowned at Summit Beach Resort pool.
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Pasco County, Florida, June 10 —
A 2-year-old child was pronounced deceased 5 days after she was found unresponsive in the family's swimming pool when she got out of the home undetected.
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Seminole County, Florida, June 10 —
A 4-year-old child was pronounced deceased after she was found unresponsive on the ground in the family's back yard when she got out of the home undetected through a doggy door. Officials believe that the child was pulled out of the swimming pool by the family dog, which is why she was found on the ground instead of in the water.
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Kissimmee, Florida, June 12 —
Parker and Paisley Sandidge, 5-year-old twin sisters from Georgia, drowned in the pool at their family’s vacation rental home while their parents went to the grocery store and a 15-year-old sibling was put in charge.
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Bleckley County, Georgia, June 14 —
3-year-old James Joseph Farland Jr. drowned in a home swimming pool.
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Anderson County, South Carolina, June 14 —
6-year-old Kynzie Tyaira Dennis drowned in a home swimming pool while visiting for a birthday party.
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Gilbert, Arizona, June 14 —
2-year-old Perrin Gordon died after he was pulled from a pool.
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King County, Washington, June 15 —
A child drowned in a hot tub.
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Henrico, Virginia, June 15 —
9-year-old King Overton drowned in his summer camp swimming pool shortlyafterhismotherdroppedhimoff.
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Taylor, Michigan, June 15 —
A 12-year-old girl was in critical condition after drowning in her apartment’s swimming pool.
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Tulare County, California, June 16 —
A 2-year-old boy drowned in an aboveground pool.
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Tulsa, Oklahoma, June 17 —
A 16-year-old girl drowned at an apartment pool during a pool party.
Bel Air, Maryland, June 18 —
A 4-year-old child drowned in a residential pool while wearing an improperly fastened life vest.
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Volusia County, Florida, June 18 —
A17-month-old boy drowned in his pool while the family was preparing to go to the beach. His mother estimates it had been approximately three minutes since she had last seen the boy, and she believes he slipped out through a sliding glass door that was accidentally left open.
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Broward County, Florida, June 19 —
A 4-year-old child was pronounced deceased after he was found floating in the family's swimming pool when he got out of the home while family members were still sleeping.
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Phoenix, Arizona, June 19 —
A 3-year-old boy was in critical condition after a bystander pulled him from an apartment swimming pool.
Kennebunk, Maine, June 20 —
A 1-year-old girl was in critical condition after drowning in a hotel swimming pool.
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Phoenix, Arizona, June 20 —
A 1-year-old girl died after she was pulled from her home swimming pool.
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Roswell, Georgia, June 21 —
A 2-year-old drowned in an apartment complex swimming pool.
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Boynton Beach, Florida, June 22 —
A 8-year-old Javonte Rahming drowned in his neighbor’s pool before anyone knew he had accessed the pool or was missing from his home.
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Sarasota County, Florida, June 22 —
A 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 while her mother was in the bathroom.
