Summer Is Almost Here, Let’s Talk Water Safety

I believe that spreading the message about water safety is very important as we get prepared for the summer months.  During the summer months, people are spending more time near bodies of water, like swimming pools, lakes, beaches and more.  According to the World Health Organization, “drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury death worldwide, accounting for 7% of all injury-related deaths.”  I remember reporting accidental drownings in West Alabama in 2019.  So, let’s get prepared for this summer and be intentional with water safety because it saves lives. Growing up in Florida, I was near water, about 90% of my life.  My mother taught me how to swim as a baby.  My summer vacations were spent at the community pool and in the ocean at Pompano Beach, Florida.

I know the summers in our area are spent at the various community pools, home pools, lakes, streams, and not too far away from us is the beach.  In having some sort of water safety in mind means that water activities can become safer for you and your family.  According to the Red Cross, “64% of African-American, 45% of Hispanic/Latino, and 40% of Caucasian children have few to no swimming skills.”  This is alarming to me.  Also, there is a correlation between parents with no swimming skills affecting their children as well.

My personal water safety stance is that in my opinion, everyone should know how to swim and stay afloat.  And when I say everyone, I mean all ages because you never know when you will need to employ swimming even as a safety measure.  Having a baseline of swimming skills can help save lives.

My second recommendation for water safety is to supervise children while swimming closely.  What I know about kids and the crystal blue waters, is that they get really excited.  Something about a swimming pool brings out the joy in children.  But, often, I find parents don’t monitor their kids in the pool.

My third recommendation is to be sure children or adults with developing swimming skills have a flotation device or U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets.

[More Water Safety information to follow as we get closer to summer]

(Source) For more information about drowning from the World Health Organization, click here.  For more from the Red Cross about water safety, click here.

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