Safety Tips
Please contact us if you would like a water safety program at your home or work place. The information below is of a sensitive nature, pertaining to child drownings. Child drownings is one of the most tragic deaths because it's our belief that so many child drownings are preventable. We are a part of a movement that believes that we can make children safer in the water, that we can make our waters safer, and make our response to potential child drownings faster and safer to prevent child drownings.
Child safety is our passion, but we need your help. We share the information below, not to scare, but to make people aware of the potential dangers that exist, and to enlist your help to make child drownings a rare occurrence. We feel very strongly that every beach resort must have a swim and water safety instruction program on-site in order to keep their families safer in and around water. Please contact us to establish one at your resort.
Drowning Statistics
Drowning is the 2nd leading cause of accidental death in the U.S. among children ages 14 and under, and the leading cause of accidental death of children age 5 and under - Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
The majority of unintentional drownings occur in natural water like oceans and lakes - CDC
A child can drown in the time it takes to answer the phone. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Of all preschoolers who drown, 70% are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75% are missing from sight for five minutes or less. National Center for Injury Prevention & Control
For every child that drowns, four are hospitalized and 16 receive emergency department care for near drowning American Academy of Pediatrics
Of preschooler pool drownings, 65% occur in the child's home pool and 33% at the home of friends, neighbors or relatives. U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Swimming Pool Safety Tips.
(Thank you to www.drowningpreventionalliance.com )
Never leave a child unattended near water in a pool, tub, bucket or ocean. There is no substitute for adult supervision.
Designate a 'Water Watcher' to maintain constant watch over children in the pool during gatherings.
The home should be isolated from the pool with a fence at least 60" tall, with a self-closing, self-latching gate. The gate should open away from the pool, and should never be propped open.
Doors and windows should be alarmed to alert adults when opened. Doors should be self-closing and self-latching.
Power-operated pool safety covers are the most convenient and efficient. Solar/floating pool covers are not safety devices.
Keep a phone at poolside so that you never have to leave the pool to answer the phone, and can call for help if needed.
Learn CPR and rescue breathing.
Keep a life-saving ring, shepherd's hook and CPR instructions mounted at poolside.
Do not use flotation devices as a substitute for supervision.
Never leave water in buckets or wading pools.
If a child is missing, always check the pool first. Seconds count.
Remove toys from in and around the pool when not in use.
Don't use floating chlorine dispensers that look like toys.
Instruct babysitters about potential pool hazards, and emphasize the need for constant supervision.
Responsibilities of pool ownership include ensuring children in the home learn to swim, and that adults know CPR.
Do not consider children 'drown proof' because they've had swimming lessons.
Open Water Safety Tips
(thank you to www.nationaldrowningpreventionalliance.com)
The cause of many unexplained drownings in lakes has been discovered recently! Healthy children and adults have drowned because they inhaled lethal levels of carbon monoxide (CO). This CO poisoning results from breathing boat engine and/or on-board generator exhaust. Some exposures occurred overseveral minutes; in other caseseven just a few breaths were fatal. Hundreds of such cases now have been described nationwide.
Beach & Ocean Safety Tips for Families
1. Learn to Swim
The ocean is powerful and can be difficult to navigate. Do not enter the ocean unless you know how to swim. Similarly,
never rely on flotation devices such as rafts or boogie boards in place of actual swimming ability. If you fall off the flotation
device, but do not know how to swim, you could panic and have difficulty retrieving your flotation device. Drownings can
happen this way.
2. Swim Near a Lifeguard
The numbers don’t lie. According to the United States Lifeguarding Association (USLA), the odds of drowning at a public
beach are nearly five times as great without lifeguard supervision. The risk of drowning at a lifeguard-protected beach is
nearly nonexistent – 18,000,000 to 1 – with lifeguard protection. Always swim near an open lifeguard tower. No
lifeguard? No swimming!
3. Protect Your Head and Neck
Never dive into the ocean headfirst – it’s a leading cause of head and neck injuries. Always enter the ocean feet first, and
when you are boogie/body boarding, keep your hands out in front to protect your head and neck.
4. Never Swim Alone
Safety in numbers? You bet! Always swim with a buddy and never swim alone, because many drownings involve single
swimmers. If you ever get lost or separated from your buddy, tell the lifeguard immediately.
5. Obey All Posted Warning Signs and Flags
Signs and flags alert you to ocean safety conditions. For clarification about what they mean, ask a lifeguard.
6. Never Turn Your Back on the Ocean
Even the smallest wave can knock you over and cause injury, especially if you are caught by surprise. Always face
forward and never turn your back on the ocean.
7. Learn About Rip Currents and How to Get Out of Them
Ever notice that “muddy” ocean water appearance flowing away from the shore? Chances are, that’s a rip current. Most
lifeguard rescues are due to people getting caught in rip currents. Even the strongest swimmers get caught in them.
They are dangerous because they pull you away from the beach into deeper water. To get out of a rip current, do not
fight the current by trying to swim to shore. Instead, swim parallel to the shore until you are out of the current. Then you
can swim safely back to the beach.
8. Avoid Drugs and Alcohol
Alcohol and drugs can impair your judgment. Under their influence you might take unnecessary risks you otherwise would
not. Alcohol, which can lower your body temperature and weaken your swimming ability, plays a significant role in many
drownings.
9. Beware of Trash and Broken Glass
Your bare feet are perfect targets for broken glass and other trash all over the beach. Walk gingerly and beware of these
and other hazards. It is best to keep your shoes on while walking between your car and the area of the beach you set up.
10. Don’t Forget the Sunscreen!
Sunscreen protects you and your family from harmful UVA and UVB rays that can lead to sunburn and skin cancer. It
should be applied several times during your day at the beach, especially after spending time in the water.
What is a rip current?
(thank you to www.http://oceanservice.noaa.gov)
Rip currents are powerful, narrow channels of fast-moving water that are prevalent along the East, Gulf, and West coasts of the U.S., as well as along the shores of the Great Lakes.
Moving at speeds of up to eight feet per second, rip currents can move faster than an Olympic swimmer.
Panicked swimmers often try to counter a rip current by swimming straight back to shore—putting themselves at risk of drowning because of fatigue.
Lifeguards rescue tens of thousands of people from rip currents in the U.S. every year, but it is estimated that 100 people are killed by rip currents annually. If caught in a rip current, don't fight it! Swim parallel to the shore and swim back to land at an angle.
While the terms are ofter confused, rip currents are different than rip tides. A rip tide is a specific type of current associated with the swift movement of tidal water through inlets and the mouths of estuaries, embayments, and harbors.