‘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 promote 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.

Memphis, Tennessee, January 29 –

A 6-year-old boy died of drowning at the Doubletree Hotel pool during the chaotic rescue of another drowning 6-year-old boy.

After first responders and hotel guests struggled to save one boy found in the indoor pool, another boy had also been drowning unnoticed in the outdoor pool.

It was only after the rescued boy had been sent to the hospital that the second boy was discovered by police officers, where it was estimated he had been submerged for a half hour.

Cutchogue, Long Island, January 29 —

An elderly man drowned after falling into his pool while shoveling snow.

Emergency responders rushed to the scene and performed CPR, but he was pronounced dead at the hospital.

His name and age were not released.