May is Drowning Prevention Month: 5 Water Safety Tips
Drowning is the cause of approximately 10 deaths a day in the United States, with 2 of those 10 deaths being children under the age of 14. Of the leading causes of unintentional injury death, drowning ranks 5th. Read these 5 Tips on Water Safety and learn how you can prevent drowning deaths.
- Adult Supervision: If you own a pool, supervision both indoors and outside is crucial to preventing water related tragedies. No level of water safety training is a substitute for adult supervision. If you are unable to locate your child in your home, the first place you need to look is the pool. Time is of the essence.
- Pool Fences: Some areas are requiring pool fences by law, sometimes it just lowers your home owners insurance, but regardless of why, fences are always a key to drowning prevention. Make sure the fence comes equipped with a self-locking gate.
- Home Alarms: Alarm systems are for more than just keeping intruders out. A properly configured alarm system can alert a parent if a child exits through a door leading to the pool area, providing extra life-saving minutes of time to prevent drowning.
- Infant Swimming Resources(ISR)-Self Rescue: Training your child for what to do if they end up in the water is a last line of defense in drowning prevention. Floaties, inner tubes, and the like only serve to inhibit a child’s ability to survive in the water on their own. Avoid using these and instead teach your child survival skills in a safe environment. You can find ISR-Self Rescue Training Programs here.
- CPR: In the event of an emergency, parents need to be prepared for how to react and administer CPR. Local CPR classes are available to teach life-saving skills for both adults and children and these classes should be updated regularly.
APi supports a local charity called the Live Like Jake Foundation. LLJ was founded after a family experienced a drowning tragedy. They’ve dedicated their child’s memory to preventing other such tragedies. This year marks the 5th Annual Live Like Jake 5k which will be held on May 11th in Jupiter, Florida. Participants raise money for ISR swim lesson scholarships, as well as providing financial assistance for families who have lost a loved one to drowning or have a child with critical care needs due to a drowning related accident.
