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Keep your children safe in the water this summer
Summer holidays are around the corner and swimming pools and the ocean are starting to look very appealing. We're all looking forward to summer on the beach and by the pool.
Last year's Drowning Report released by Royal Life Saving (RLS), showed a concerning increase in deaths by drowning in swimming pools of 95 per cent over the previous year. There was a particular increase in children under five.
Under five drowning incidents up
A great deal of energy has been expended by industry, regulators, legislators and the community in attempting to curb the drowning deaths of children under five years of age.
Sadly, those efforts have not borne fruit in this period and the number of under-fives drowning has jumped to 31 – an increase of 48 per cent over the previous period.
Significantly for the industry, swimming pool drownings accounted for 61 per cent of all drowning deaths of children under five. An absence of supervision was identified in 94 per cent of cases.
Of all the drowning incidents occurring in swimming pools, 44 per cent were of children under five.
The safety of kids in pools is primarily up to pool owners to ensure that they understand the responsibilities of adult supervision, educate the family members to make sure they're also aware of the dangers of propping pool gates open and allowing access for the very young children into those backyard swimming pools.
In the summertime it's very easy to get a little complacent. Hot snoozy days out on the beach or in the back garden near the pool, parties or guests, lots of distractions. But even the tiniest lapse in vigilance can be fatal, especially when it comes to small children who are not yet proficient or confident swimmers.
Toddlers and young children are most at risk from drowning and near drowing incidents: 30 per cent of drowning cases were children under four years old, who made up 63 per cent of drowning incidents in swimming pools.
There's no substitute for parent vigilance and of course no child should be left unattended in any pool or sea, but water confidence and awareness of the dangers of water can go a long way to preventing accidents and drownings in backyard pools and the sea.
Know the signs of drowning
It's also well documented that toddlers simply let themselves drown. So it's imperative that all family members and friends know what to look out for in terms of knowing when someone is in danger.
Readers Digest recently published the following 8 Quiet Signs of Someone Drowning:
- A drowning person can't call for help - she has to be able to breathe before she can speak. When a person is drowning, her mouth sinks below and reappears above the surface of the water. There isn't time for her to exhale, inhale, and call out.
- She can't wave for help either. A drowning person instinctively extends her arms to the sides and presses down to lift her mouth out of the water; a child may extend her arms forward. She can't use her arms to move toward a rescuer or reach for rescue equipment.
- A drowning person remains upright in the water, with no evidence of kicking. She can struggle for only 20 to 60 seconds before going under.
- Eyes are glassy, unable to focus, or closed.
- Hair may be over forehead or eyes.
- Head is low in the water, with mouth at water level; head may be tilted back with mouth open. A child's head may fall forward.
- Sometimes the most important indicator that someone is drowning is that they don't look like they're drowning. She may just seem to be looking up at the sky, shore, pool deck, or dock. Ask her, "Are you all right?" If she can answer at all, she probably is. If she returns a blank stare, you may have less than 30 seconds to get to her.
- Children playing in the water make noise. When they get quiet, you need to get to them and find out why.
It's vital that kids are taught to swim at an early age; wear appropriate swim aids in the water that enable them to move freely and learn strokes properly; and that they receive education in water safety from parents, carers or swimming instructors or other professionals.
Most preschools and child care services usually have some sort of program or lessons on water safety for young children. It goes hand in hand in Australia with road safety and stranger danger.
If your centre doesn't have a scheduled program or lessons in water safety – put that in the suggestion box. It's easy to organize with one of the local representatives of Austswim, Surf Life Saving or even a local swimming instructor.
Top Tips for Pool & Beach Safety
- Simply NEVER leave your young children in a pool or near water of any kind unattended. Always make sure if you have to pop inside for any reason, that someone else is watching the children.
- NEVER prop open pool gates. This is hugely dangerous.
- MAKE SURE YOUR POOL GATES WORK PROPERLY. They should self-shut easily and quickly. No time for little people to sneak in unwatched.
- TALK TO YOUR NEIGHBOURS and make sure their pools are also secure and pool gates work properly. Many pool deaths actually occur in neighbours' pools, not those of the families involved.
- Always insure young children are wearing floatation device whenever they are around any type of water, whether pond, river, pool or open sea.
- It's never too early to learn to swim. Get your children swim safe as early as possible.
- Teach children how to look out for each other and know how to raise the alarm if they think one of their friends is in trouble.
Go to www.austswim.com.au to find your nearest teacher or aquatic facility. For more information on swim safety go to: www.dsr.nsw.gov.au/swimandsurvive/; |
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