With tomorrow being July 4, and summer swim season in full swing, the Drowning Prevention Coalition (DPC) of Palm Beach County encourages parents, caregivers, pool owners, and vacationers to make drowning prevention a top priority.
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On average, 71 people die in rip current drownings each year, according to the National Weather Service.
According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission, “nearly 300 children younger than 5 drown in pools and spas each year, and about 3,000 suffer pool or spa-related injuries (including suction/entrapment incidents) requiring attention at hospital emergency rooms.”
This summer, apply water safety practices by utilizing the following layers of protection for your children:
- Ensure there is constant adult supervision
- Allow children to Swim in front of a lifeguard at a pool and beach
- Teach children to escape a rip current by turning over to float, yelling for help, and swimming parallel to the shore.
- Have physical barriers around a pool area (i.e. fence) that include self-closing, self-latching gates
- Have window and door alarms that sound when breached
- Have pool safety covers
- Have pool alarms that float on the surface of the pool
- Ensure some alarms go around a child’s wrist and sound if the wrist touches the water
- 10. While at a party, designate an adult water watcher (using a distinguishable item such as a lanyard or funny hat) for 15 minutes whose sole responsibility is to watch the pool area and not read, talk on the phone, or have outside distractions. After the 15 minutes conclude, hand over the distinguishable item to another adult for 15 minutes, and so forth.
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