No Snark Holiday Weekend Safety Info
Drowning people don’t look like they are drowning.
To get an idea of just how quiet and undramatic from the surface drowning can be, consider this: It is the number two cause of accidental death in children, age 15 and under (just behind vehicle accidents) – of the approximately 750 children who will drown next year, about 375 of them will do so within 25 yards of a parent or other adult. In ten percent of those drownings, the adult will actually watch them do it, having no idea it is happening (source: CDC).
Read the post at gcaptain.com to be aware of the involuntary signs of drowning.
Astonishing statistics. Thoughtful message.
There was just an article in the paper a couple of days ago about a 2-yr-old who let themselves out of a hotel room and drowned in the pool. I think it’s really important to make sure kids know how to swim from a very young age.
UI: His 5-year-old sibling was the one who opened the door. They were staying in the motel because they were burned out of their apartment. My question was about whoever owned the pool — you’re supposed to have a fence at least 4 feet high with self-latching gates around a home swimming pool.
Incidents like the one you described is why I never, ever, ever want to have a swimming pool at my house.
Water safety should be part of the family culture. Not just families with pools.
BYW – Trampolines are the real backyard killers.
Geezer, those “rules” aren’t the same everywhere–and tend to be more homeowner’s insurance driven than law–depending what state you live in.
The YMCA of Delaware is running a great urban “learn to swim” program targeting poor kids. It is financed by a couple of local bank execs who survived a helo crash in a river.
I looked up the CDC information, because some of the article seemed inconsistent with my Red Cross lifeguard training. Of the approximately 4,000 people who die annually from drowning more than 1 in 5 are 14 or younger, (making the 750 figure within the ball park), 60% of children drowning deaths occur in swimming pools. Between 50-75% of all drowning deaths occur in open water (lakes, ponds, rivers, and oceans).
Children between 1-4 most often drown in a residential pool, and most were out of their parent’s sight for less than 5 minutes. As children get older the % of pool drownings decrease, and by 15 almost all drowning happen in natural water settings.
Lifeguard’s at beaches almost eliminates the incidents of drowning deaths in open water. From 88-97 there were less than US 100 drowning deaths at lifeguard-patrolled beaches, and over 75% of those occurred after hours without a lifeguard. 95% of all open water drownings happen at unguarded locations.
In 1989 to cut its budget Nassau County Fl. eliminated public beach lifeguards. They were reinstated less than a year later after there were 5 drowning deaths. Nassau County had no drownings prior to 1989, or since reinstating public beach lifeguards. The CDC cites to 3 other communities with identical statistics.
Its true most drowning victims don’t wave their arms or scream for help, but trained lifeguards (and most watchful parents and pool owners) should be able to see the subtle signs of distress before it’s too late. In swimming pools adults and children who can’t swim are able to struggle to keep their head above water for at least 60 and 20 seconds respectively. For an attentive lifeguard this should be sufficient time to save the person.
I couldn’t find anything in the CDC information to support the claim that parents or adult are within 25 feet in half the children drowning, or that parent’s or adults witness 10% of child drownings. However from my own experience inattentive parents have usually been present when their child almost drowned (either because they fell into a pool, or left a secure area without their parent noticing or recognizing their child was in peril). Over the years I’ve jumped in a pool a half dozen times to save a child (only once as a lifeguard). On more than one occasion the parent was actually put off, and insisted their child wasn’t in danger (despite the child coughing up a substantial amount of swallowed water, and crying after safely out of the pool). I once dove into a relative’s freezing pool (in early March) after a toddler fell in. The parent’s tried to reach out and grab their son, but when that failed they actually took the time to take off their shoes, and watch. I was already out of the pool with their son while they were still trying to minimize what would be ruined in a water rescue.