‘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.
Lee County, Florida, March 12 —
A 3 1/2-year-old girl was pronounced deceased three days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool where she and a sibling were being supervised by the grandfather.
Charlotte Cnty, Florida, March 13 —
A 3-year-old girl was pronounced deceased days after she was found unresponsive in the swimming pool after she got out of the home undetected when she was being watched by a relative.
Atascosa, Texas, March 14 —
5-year-old Jeremiah Turner was visiting his grandmother’s house with his family when he wandered away. He was found dead in the neighbor’s pool, where the pool gate had been left open.
Springfield, Illinois, March 16 —
A 7-year-old boy was pronounced dead at the hospital after he was found in the deep end of a home swimming pool.
Bellingham,Washington,March22—
A female swimmer died after possibly drowning in the rec center pool at Western Washington University.
Marion County, Florida, March 24 —
A 5 1/2-year-old child was pronounced dead after she was found unresponsive in the family’s swimming pool.
Houston, Texas, March 24 —
8-year-old Aliyah Lynette Jaico, was swimming in a lazy river at the Doubletree by Hilton Houston Brookhollow when she disappeared. Her body was discovered wedged in the pipes of the malfunctioning pool equipment, within which she had been sucked.
