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Water Safety for Families

Drownings can happen in any body of water. Rivers, lakes, and retention ponds record a startling number of drowning deaths each year.

Boating

Some of our fondest memories are weekends on a lake, or fishing trips on a boat. Make sure these memories are made safely by buying a life jacket approved by the United States Coast Guard. Ensure that this jacket fits your child appropriately and comfortably, and most importantly, make sure the life jacket you purchase will float your child face up even if unconscious.

Supervision

Watching children constantly around the water is abolutely necessary, but did you know that not all supervision is effective? Here are some tips to make sure all children are adequately supervised around any body of water.

 

Designate an appropriate "water watcher"

 This is too much responsibility for an older child or sibling. A responsible adult should be assigned to watching the pool, and needs to know it is his or her specific responsibility...all too often one adult thinks another was watching the pool and vice versa. with tragic results.

 

Segment Supervision

Watching a child sit on a step and pour water out of cups can make even the most attentive adults complacent about the ever present risk of drowning. It only takes a second for that child to be in grave danger. To ensure active supervision, it's important to segment the supervision such that no one adult is expected to watch the pool for hours on end. Consider setting up a rotation of adults in 15 minute shifts.

At the Beach

Fond memories are made of weekends on the lake or at the beach. Unfortunately, the lake and beach are often busy and crowded, which is why it is important to dress your child in bright colors. By using a consistent bright color and style of swimsuit, you can substantially increase your ability to spot your child in a crowd or in the water. Though it may seem excessive, having a picture of your children wearing their "beach suits" with you can be helpful to lifeguards in a worst case scenario.

Make Your Home Safer

Overwhelmingly, water near the home poses the most frequent and continued threat for a family. Follow these steps to make sure your home is as safe as possible.

 

Fences

While fencing is the law in many states, this often only applies to new construction meaning your home may have an unfenced, or an inadequately fenced pool. Permanent fencing should enclose the entire pool, should be at least 4 feet in height, and be equipped with self-closing, self-latching gates. Vertical bars should be no more than 4 inches apart.

 

The risk of drowning doubles when barriers are reduced to three sides!

 

Locks & Alarms

Locks and alarms should be installed well out of reach of children on all doors and windows leading to the pool. Check for any other access points including the often-overlooked dog doors.

 

Position all jets such that floating objects are directed toward the shallow-end near the steps or ladder.

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