How to Practice Water Safety This Summer

As we head into the summer months and temperatures continue to rise, many kids and families look forward to swimming. While swimming can be a fun way to entertain the family and cool off, it is important to stay safe and prepared.

To provide valuable information on water safety, we asked our trusted friends at The Swim Lesson People in Weatherford, who require all their instructors to be certified in CPR/AED and undergo water safety training to write this post. They will discuss what water safety entails, what drowning is, what it looks like, and measures that can be taken to prevent drownings.

What is Drowning?

Let's begin with building and strengthening your foundational framework of water safety, what it is, and how the experts define it.

Do you know what drowning is?

How would you define it if you were asked to?

What does it look like?

Who is the highest age group risk?

Would you know what to look for when a person is drowning?

Can you guess?

Drowning is known as a "process," and it is classified by 3 outcomes:

1) Not having any injuries

2) Having injuries that may or may not be life-threatening and permanently disabling

3) Death.

Drowning can happen in as little as 3 inches of water and can happen silently and quickly. Many cases of fatal drowning have resulted from lapses of supervision or the inability to recognize what a distressed person looks like.

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental drowning in children ages 0-4, and the 2nd cause of accidental death in kids 4-15. It can happen in seconds, so let's start with how you can keep your children safer

Prevention

Drowning Prevention is a multi-layered approach; there is NO single way to keep your children safer around water.

The 5 Layers of Protection to Prevent Drowning include:

1) Limit access by installing barriers such as four-sided fences with self-latching gates, pool covers, and/or installing door alarms.

2) Assign a Water Watcher. Many drownings occur with an adult nearby.

3) Take Swim & Water Safety Lessons.

4) Wear USCG Approved Life Jackets.

5) Learn CPR. Being prepared on how to respond to an emergency can be the difference maker while waiting for emergency personnel to arrive.

Resources

For more information on water safety and drowning prevention, check out Cook Children’s Drowning Lifeguard Your Child Campaign at www.lifeguardyourchild.org or the National Drowning Prevention Alliance www.NDPA.org