Swimming is a cherished rite of summer for most children and families. It evokes fond memories of picnics, sunny days and lazing by a pool or on a beach. Yet, according to the national Safe Kids program, 838 children in the U.S. ages 14 and under died from drowning in 2002. Over 300 of those deaths occurred in a pool. Safe Kids estimates that another 2,400 near-drownings occurred among children in the same age group.
The good news is that parents can take effective action to reduce the likelihood of drowning and to intervene in a near-drowning situation. Unfortunately, because of misperceptions about how drownings occur, many parents do not realize how much they can do to avoid tragedy.
Myth #1: Swimming = drown-proofing. FALSE. "I wish it did," says Kelly Ransdell, director of Safe Kids N.C. "Learning to swim is one way to protect children when they are around water, but there is no 'drown-proof' solution. We can only provide layers of protection to reduce the likelihood of drowning."
"There are so many variables that can contribute to a drowning scenario, many of which may not be foreseen by a child who can swim," adds Liz Wassell, owner of www.RelaxnSwim.com, a non-profit Web site dedicated to helping fearful swimmers. "I think it is honest to say that knowing how to swim must dramatically boost anyone's chances for survival of a possible drowning . . . but again, that is only one factor."
Myth #2: Wading pools are safer than full-sized pools. FALSE. It only takes a few inches of water for babies and toddlers to drown. Wading pools, buckets and decorative water features all pose a threat since very small children are top-heavy and lack the strength to pull themselves out — especially if they fall in head-first. "All water has the potential to be dangerous if children are left unattended," says Ransdell.
Myth #3: Being outside near the pool counts as supervision. FALSE. "Make sure that an adult always has their eyes on the pool and the children in it instead of getting distracted with other things at the house," cautions Ransdell. Reading, talking on the phone or socializing with friends can be just enough of a distraction to delay intervention. Seconds count. Safe Kids recommends having one adult designated as the "water watcher" and taking turns when a group is present.
According to the Orange County (CA) Fire Authority, "Of all preschoolers who drown, 70 percent are in the care of one or both parents at the time of the drowning and 75 percent are missing from sight for five minutes or less."
Myth #4: Drowning people splash, make lots of noise and come up three times. FALSE.
Once again, real life is different from TV. Mike Bearak, aquatics director at the Simmons branch of YMCA Charlotte says that it only takes 20 to 40 seconds before a distressed swimmer begins to tire and takes in water. The instinctive position of a distressed swimmer is with the head back to keep the face above the surface, making it difficult to yell, especially if the swimmer is swallowing water. According to the Poseidon company, a manufacturer of pool safety equipment, there are five stages to drowning: Surprise/fear, instinctive/involuntary breath holding, loss of consciousness, convulsions due to lack of oxygen and death.
According to Safe Kids, within two minutes after going under the water, a drowning child loses consciousness. Brain damage occurs in less than six minutes. "The majority of children who survive (92 percent) are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children who die (86 percent) are found after 10 minutes," says the Safe Kids Week 2006 Coalition Guide.
Myth #5: Parents can relax as long as there is a lifeguard. FALSE. "Understand a lifeguard is not there to watch their child solely," says Bearak. The lifeguard is not a babysitter. Bearak notes that a New York study of pool accidents cited distractions by the responsibilities of a lifeguard's job as well as interruptions by people talking to the lifeguard as being among the reasons lifeguards might not recognize that a child is in trouble until it is too late. "Nothing can ever replace supervision," says Bearak. According to Safe Kids, "Nearly nine out of 10 drowning-related deaths happen while the child is under some form of supervision." According to the Drowning Prevention Foundation, 19 percent of drowning deaths occur in public pools under lifeguard supervision.
Myth #6: Children who can't swim are safe if they have inflatable flotation devices (arm floaties, swim rings, etc.). FALSE. "Inflatable flotation devices are not reliable," warns Bearak. "Whatever can inflate can deflate." Small children can slip out of rings, and arm floaties can slide off. Swim-suits with buoyant inserts, on the other hand, are likely to stay on. "I'm a firm believer (in those)," says Bearak, but even so, such suits can hold a very small child at the surface face-down instead of face-up.
Myth #7: Hot tubs aren't as risky as "real" pools. FALSE. In June of 2002, the 7- year-old-granddaughter of former Secretary of State James Baker, Virginia Graeme Baker, attended a backyard party at a home with a pool and hot tub. Graeme had been swimming since she was 3 years old and was on a swim team. Due to the strong suction of the hot tub's drain, Graeme was pinned at the bottom of the hot tub and drowned. The suction was so strong that it took two adult men to pull her body away from the drain. Her mother, Nancy, is now an advocate for Safe Kids Worldwide to help other parents take precautions and avoid similar situations.
Myth #8: Parents don't have to follow the swimming safety rules they set for their children. FALSE. "If parents do dumb things around the water, the kids will do dumb things around the water," says Bearak. That includes adults refusing to wear life vests when boating or permitting teens to engage in dangerous activities such as knocking each other into the pool.
Myth #9: There is no way to make pools safer. FALSE. According to Safe Kids, every pool should have four-sided fencing and a gate that closes and latches by itself. A cover that locks is also recommended to keep curious children out of hot tubs when the tub is not in use and not being supervised. "Studies show that installation and proper use of four-sided isolation fencing could prevent 50 to 90 percent of childhood residential swimming pool drownings and near-drownings," says the Safe Kids guide.
Pool alarms are also good additional safety measures, although they do not replace a fence or supervision. Safe Kids also recommends installing door and window chimes that sound when opened to alert adults that a child is leaving the house. For example, the Safety Turtle company sells a wireless wristband alarm that activates as soon as a child enters the water. The company also makes a gate alarm for pool fences. The gate alarm can also be set to trigger when the wristband alarm goes off. (www.safetyturtle.com)
Anti-entrapment covers for pool and hot tub drains are available, and can be retrofitted for older pools. New pools can be built with two drains to reduce the suction. Special devices can sense blockage to the drain and automatically shut off the pump, lessening the suction. Safe Kids also recommends that swimmers with long hair tie hair back to reduce the risk of entanglement.
Despite the availability of these tools, many pool and hot tub owners do not make use of them. Eighty-seven percent of pools/hot tubs lack an alarm, according to Safe Kids, and 61 percent of pools and hot tubs are not fenced. Of those with fences, 43 percent lack a gate that closes and latches automatically, and more than 80 percent of homes with pools or hot tubs did not have a door alarm activated.
Myth #10: Non-swimmers can't rescue a drowning child. FALSE. According to www.relaxnswim.com, bystanders can toss a life preserver, or reach with a broomstick, oar, branch or even a towel to give the victim something to grab onto. If it seems likely that you can pull the person out, hold onto something, lean back to avoid being pulled in yourself and stay low to keep your balance. Call 911 immediately. If you do enter the water, take a life preserver or other solid flotation device with you.
According to the National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Data (1998), boys are three times more likely to drown than girls. This may be related to the finding by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control that most people overestimate their swimming ability. People most likely to overestimate their ability are young, male and those with higher education. Over 80 percent of U.S. drowning victims in 1998 were boys. Black children are almost three times as likely to drown as white children. Nearly half of adult and teen drownings involved alcohol.
For more good tips, the American Red Cross Web site offers a nine-page water safety guide free online. Go to https://redcross.org/services/hss/tips/healthtips/safetywater.html. Safe Kids provides a wealth of safety advice for swimming, hot tubs, boating and the beach at www.safekids.org.
Although it is not possible to completely guarantee water safety, active supervision, swim lessons and the use of physical devices such as fences, alarms and rescue equipment can make a difference and lessen the risk of drowning. There is no replacement for adult supervision, even for kids who are excellent swimmers. Keep these tips in mind, and you can keep your summer swimming fun and safe!
One Rescuer's Story
Mike Mauldin is a police officer with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department. He is also a triathlete in excellent physical condition. So when a day on the beach in 2003 led to spotting a boy in trouble in the ocean, Mauldin, who has 15 years experience on the police force, dove in. Swimming out to the boy was easy, Mauldin recounts. "It was getting him back that was the challenge," he says. The 8-year-old was caught in an undertow.
Despite his exceptional level of fitness and the cool-under-pressure training of a police officer, Mauldin says he started to wonder whether he had gotten himself into something he couldn't handle. "I got really scared," Mauldin says, recounting how he went under in the heavy surf, took in water and felt himself starting to panic. "It's probably the most frightening thing I ever did," he says, noting that even thinking about it now gives him a "sick feeling." He says that on the street in the course of his work, he expects danger. Facing a life-threatening situation on a fun outing made the situation that much more upsetting.
Worse, the boy's father was trying to reach his son and was also at risk for drowning. Mauldin says he shouted for the man to turn back, and saw him struggling. There were no lifeguards on the beach. Fortunately, Mauldin remembered to swim with the current to get out of an undertow. Even so, he barely made it out with the boy. "I have never swum that hard and not moved," says Mauldin.
"If I hadn't been in the condition I was, I wouldn't have gotten the boy back," says Mauldin. The boy's father never did reach them, but managed to get out safely. Mauldin was relieved — he knew he could not have saved both father and son. "I was too tired and too scared," he says.
Mauldin, whose triathlon training involves lake swimming, had never been in the ocean before that day, and he says he has not been in the ocean since. Mauldin received the 2004 Police Service Award from the International Association of Chiefs of Police and Parade Magazine for his valor.
Swimming Safety Tips
• Swim only when a lifeguard or adult is actively supervising.
• Don't swim when you are tired or cold.
• Learn to swim. (This requires more than one set of lessons.)
• Know the water — be aware of depth, underwater hazards, currents, etc.
• Pay attention to the weather. Get out of the water immediately if there is thunder or lightning.
• Never drink alcohol when swimming or supervising.
• Always dive in feet-first unless the area is specifically marked for diving and you can see clearly to the bottom.
• Keep a phone handy for emergencies and have a pole or flotation device close at hand.
• Never, ever leave a child alone near a pool — even for a moment, even if the child is a good swimmer, even if the swimmers are teens.
• Learn CPR.
• Move furniture to keep children from climbing over pool fences.
• Keep toys out of the pool when the pool is not in use. Toys left in an unattended pool can be a dangerous temptation for children, who might fall in attempting to retrieve the toy.
• Take pool covers completely off the pool to avoid entanglement.
• Make sure pools are fenced and that gates close and latch automatically.
• Invest in a pool alarm.
• Verify that your pool has safety drain covers, and consider adding an emergency suction release.
• Check the pool first if a child is missing.
• Never swim alone.
• Check the surf conditions for rough water or undertows/rip tides when swimming at the ocean.
• Avoid roughhousing around pools, never run and avoid using glass containers that can shatter on pool decking.
Source: American Red Cross, Safe Kids
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CPR Saves Lives
• CPR should only be performed if the victim is not breathing or lacks a pulse.
• Call 911 before administering CPR to make sure help is on the way. Be quick.
• If you don't know CPR, emergency phone operators can provide guidance.
• CPR classes require approximately six hours of instruction. Special classes are available to teach CPR use on babies and small children.
• To keep skills sharp (and maintain certification), experts advise repeating CPR training every two years.
• CPR skills can deteriorate just three months after training, even among medical professionals.
• The American Red Cross and the American Heart Association often offer CPR training through their local chapters.
Source: http://kidshealth.org/parent/firstaid_safe/emergencies/cpr.html, www.healthsafety.com/cpr-facts.html |