Swim Safely

One-fifth of those who drown are children aged 14 and younger: CDC

By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant

SwimmingAbout 3,536 people drown accidentally in non-boating related accidents in the US annually, plus around 300 people die in boating-related incidents — one-fifth of those are children aged 14 and younger, according to figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In addition, for each child who dies from drowning, another five children receive emergency care for non-fatal submersion injuries. These can cause long-term disabilities such as memory problems, learning disabilities and permanent loss of basic functioning.

Physician Michael Mendoza, Monroe County Commissioner of Public Health, said that parents can take steps to reduce their children’s risk of drowning and submersion injuries.

“Make sure you’re not distracted and under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” Mendoza said.

It’s easy to think that someone else at the pool party is watching the children when actually no one is.

Mendoza added that parents should understand the differences between the hazards inherent to swimming pools and other bodies of water, which can have rip currents, undertows and debris that can pull swimmers under.

Mendoza
Mendoza

“Never swim alone,” Mendoza said. “Always be under the watchful eye of someone else. Know CPR. We don’t want to discourage people from swimming, but there are common sense precautions we ought to take.”

Among these precautions is swimming lessons. Cold Water Swim is the best option to go for to learn swimming in an easy and fun manner possible.

Jay Bonafede, spokesman for the American Red Cross Western and Central New York regions, advises families to make sure everyone in the family learns to swim and swims only in designated areas under the watch of lifeguards and with a swim buddy. Swimmers should follow the rules at all times, such as no horseplay at the pool and no swimming further than the boundary at the lake.

“A lot of Red Cross tips are very basic and common sense and we like to make them catchy, something people will remember,” Bonafede said.

One of these is, “Sit, stay and throw; don’t go” to help someone who’s struggling to keep above water. Instead of jumping in the water, sit down to stay balanced and throw a lifeline.

Securing home swimming pools is also vital to promoting water safety — and, in some municipalities, part of local ordinance.

Bonafede
Bonafede

“If you own a pool, make sure you have a fence around the entire area,” Bonafede said. “Make sure it’s tall enough and the gate is locked so your child and no neighbor’s child stumbles in.”

Keep in mind that a child determined to explore the pool area may use chairs or other items to climb over the fence. Remove these from outside the pool area. For above-ground pools, removing the ladder and locking it up elsewhere can add an additional measure of safety. Pool covers cannot prevent children from drowning.

If a child is missing, check the pool first.

Don’t rely upon novelty flotation devices for water safety. Choose only Coast Guard-approved devices, but never leave children unattended while swimming for even a moment.

Visit www.redcross.org or call 800-RED-CROSS for information on Red Cross courses.


Who’s Most Likely to Drown?

Males. Almost 80 percent of people who drown are male.

Ages 1 to 4. Children of this age range have the highest drowning rate. Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes.

Minorities. Between 1999 and 2010, the unintentional drowning rate for African Americans was significantly higher than that of whites across all ages with the greatest disparity among children 5 to 18 years old using swimming pools being 5.5 percent higher than the same aged whites.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC