Water Safety Tips
According to the American Red Cross, children under age 5 and young adults from 15 to 24 have the highest rates of drowning. Most of these drownings take place in home pools or other water sources in and around your home. With a few safety skills, such accidents can usually be prevented.
Regardless of where you are swimming and what activities you may be involved in, you should follow these simple guidelines to reduce the risk of drowning:
1. Participate in Swim Lessons and Water Safety Classes:
One of the best things anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim. One of At Home Aquatic’s missions is to teach swimming lessons in the area where most preventable water related accidents may occur. Our idea of water safety involves not only a healthy understanding of the risks that accompany water but also supervised exposure to it. Through an interactive environment, children can “soak up” good water safety habits and become as comfortable in water as they are on dry land.
2. Never leave children unattended:
No matter what the age of your child, there is no such thing as a "water proof" or a "drown proof" child. All children are at risk when in and around water.
3. Keep doors locked and pools safely covered and fenced:
Pool safety covers and fences are a great way to help keep children from wandering into a pool area unsupervised however, these are only deterrents.
4. Keep the pool area tidy and clean:
Prevent accidental slipping and falling by keeping the deck and area around the pool safe and clear. The sides of the pool should be easy to reach for children and adults already in the water.
5. Remove all floating objects from the pool:
Clean up toys. Toys or “floatation devices” that are floating on top of the water can draw a child's attention very easily and give a false sense of security. Having a clutter-free pool will also make it easier to oversee the swimmers in the water.
6. Maintain a clean and chemically balanced pool:
To prevent unhealthy and unwanted illnesses, remember to keep your pool chemically balanced to ensure clean swimming water. Pool water should be clear. If you cannot see the bottom of the pool or you are not sure if the pool water is clean enough to swim in, then DO NOT go swimming until the water has been properly treated.
7. Keep your home or cell phone with you:
In case there is an emergency or you need to contact someone, then you do not have to leave the pool unsupervised.
8. Always keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool:
Try not to get in a pool with someone who is panicked and in trouble without a life saving device. They can grab onto you and prevent you from staying afloat. Always keep poles, lifesaving rope and a lifesaving flotation device on hand just in case someone needs your help.
9. Best to have a CPR certified adult or lifeguard onsite:
Always have adult or certified individual(s) when your child is in or around a pool to help in case of emergency.
Swiming Facts
Alarming Facts and Figures
- In 2005, there were 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States, averaging ten deaths per day. An additional 710 people died in aquatic and other boating-related incidents.
- More than one in four fatal drowning victims are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another four received emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.
- Nonfatal drownings can cause brain damage that may result in long-term disabilities including memory problems, learning disabilities, and permanent loss of basic functioning (i.e., permanent vegetative state).
Who is most at risk?
Children
In 2005, of all children 1 to 4 years old who died, almost 30% died from drowning. Although drowning rates have slowly declined, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years.
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Our Mission
“Using swim instruction to help promote water safety and improve swimming skills that will last a lifetime and help develop confidence for individuals both in and out of the water.”