With two Suffolk County drownings and one critical incident in as little as ten days, we felt compelled to release some vital water safety tips for our Readers. As a former Ocean and Open Water Lifeguard, learning of recent drownings has a very personal effect on this editor, because most drowning deaths could have been prevented.
Back in the late 90’s the red cross added enhanced prevention training for open water lifeguard certifications and with good reason. Now Lifeguards are trained to spot potentially high risk swimmers before they step into the water. How do we know who these victims are? The majority of high risk beach goers are young children with a lack of supervision from parents or guardians. According to a study in 2010, by the International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education, 70% of the drowning incidents, in children ages 5-9, occurred due to a lack in supervision. A quarter of these accidents were due to parents/guardians sunbathing, talking on cell phones or talking to other beach goers at the time of incident. The remaining 75% of accidents happened because the number of children outweighed the ability of the supervising guardian.
Water Safety Lessons to Remember
I just took my eyes off him for a few seconds…
You would be surprised to learn that the number one phrase a parent uses in a drowning or near drowning scenario is that they only looked away for a moment. It only takes a few seconds for a young child to wander off. Even more frightening, is that a child can drown in as little as 30 seconds! Never take your eyes off a child at a beach or the pool. If you need to step away for some reason, ask the lifeguard if they mind keeping an eye on your child while you are not able to.
Listen for Silence
Children love to play, splash and yell in the pool or at the beach. If suddenly you do not hear them, you need to alert your eyes and find the child. Drowning victims can not yell, cry or call for help. They are too busy trying to keep afloat to breath.
Learn to Swim before You Bring a Child to the Water
It’s not easy to tell a child they can’t go the beach because you don’t know how to swim. But try imagining the terror of watching your son or daughter drown because you can’t save them. Avoid putting yourself and your child in danger by taking basic swimming lessons, before heading to the beach. The YMCA and Red Cross both offer programs for adults learning basic swimming techniques at affordable pricing. However, if traveling out of town is not ideal, try asking a local lifeguard for private lessons. Most lifeguards are high school kids or in college and can use the extra cash. Private lessons for adults should cost anywhere from $25 to $40 per hour.
Swim Lessons and Water Survival
Get your kids into a summer swimming program before heading to the beach. These lifesaving lessons are well worth the price ($20-$50 per lesson on average) and will give your child a skill that may even get him a job one day! The Town of Smithtown Recreation Department offers a number of affordable swimming programs for children ages 4-14 and offers a junior lifeguarding training program for older kids as a precursor to lifeguard certifications. For families who head to the ocean or the sound during free time, we’d strongly recommend the Suffolk County Police Departments Swim for Survival program for children ages 5-10, available for $20 per child.
Pool Gate Alert
If you own a pool, you should already have a surrounding fence and gate, as per state regulation. Take things one step further by installing a pool gate alarm. A basic pool alarm cost between $20-$60, and can be found at a local hardware supply store like Ace, Lowes or Home Depot. The wireless models are equipped with a remote access which will alert whoever is holding the remote. This is ideal for hosting parties and can prevent some unruly kids from fence hopping into your pool. If you have smaller children, we’d strongly recommend investing $119 in the Pool Protector Perimeter Alarm. This digital monitoring system will automatically sound an alarm when children or pets fall into an unsupervised pool. When every second determines the outcome of an accident, this is a must-have safety measure well worth the money.
Bright Color Coordinate
Whenever you are taking children to a pool or the water, it’s always smart to dress them in identifiable bright bathing suits. As a former lifeguard, we used colors of swimming suits to help keep count and identify swimmers from the lifeguard stands. This helps parents and guardians alike to know if a child has gone missing or may be too close to a sudden rip current. Also, take a pre-beach snapshot of your kids ready for a day of fun with your smart phone. This will also serve as a tool, should your child go missing, lifeguards will have a perfect ID to help with a search.