Do You Know How to Prevent a Drowning? Help Us Save Our Children's Lives This Summer

Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children between the ages of 1-4. Yes, you read that right. Drowning is the leading killer of our children over car or household accidents. For anyone, this statistic is absolutely jarring. Yet as parents, this statistic is even more jarring because with the proper precautions taken, drowning can be 100 percent prevented.

As we head into the summer months where children are drawn to any body of water – ocean, lake, pond, river or pool – we want to make sure parents are equipped with the information they need to keep their kids safe during this swim season.

The Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield have teamed up with The ZAC Foundation – a national water safety and drowning prevention organization – to teach more than 100 local kids how to be safe in any body of water through a weeklong camp that includes swim lessons and highlights easy best practices for any family or child to remember. We call them the ABC&Ds of Water Safety.

A is for Adults. While we teach children to never swim unless an adult is present, we must remember that’s a lesson not only for our children. As parents, we must be present, too. That means not reading, talking on the phone or participating in any activity that would pull our eyes and ears away from a swimmer. Did you know that it only takes a second for a child to slip under the water? Drowning happens quickly and quietly and is not the Hollywood image we often see. When adults keep their eyes and attention on the water at all times, swimmers of any age will be kept safe.

B stands for Barriers. Sadly, we read and hear about heartbreaking stories each summer. Whether it is a child who wandered out of an open door only to fall into a pool and drown or a child who climbed over a fence to take a swim, but quickly was overcome by the water in a pool, accidents happen all too frequently. Yet, they don’t need to. Teach children to respect barriers – that includes not only fences but also signs that warn of dangerous waters. And if you have a pool, make sure you have a self-locking gate.

Would you know what to do in a water emergency? Many of us would not be equipped with the knowledge or training during a panicked time. That’s why we teach C. C is for Classes. Everyone in your family, including babysitters and caretakers, should know how to swim; it’s a life skill. But they should also know CPR and how to call First Responders in case of an emergency. Take these classes as a family and develop a plan together on how to respond.

And finally, D is for Drain Safety. Children are absolutely mystified by the big white drains the lay below the water, but many children, as well as their parents, don’t know that drains are used to circulate the water in a pool and have high rates of suction. If a pool drain becomes loose or falls off, the force of its suction can quickly trap swimmers of any age. Teach all swimmers to stay away from drains, and if there appears to be something wrong with the drain cover, the pool should be evacuated and stay closed until the proper professionals can ascertain the pool is safe to swim. Too many children like Zachary Cohn, Abbey Taylor, Virginia Graham Baker, and others, have lost their lives to the suction of a pool or spa drain.

Any family can remember the ABC&Ds of Water Safety, right? It’s an important lesson for our children, and parents alike. Please join all of us at the Boys & Girls Clubs this year in teaching this lifesaving messages to our friends, families and neighbors. With your help, we can save lives this swimming season.

Respectfully,

Karen Cohn & Adam Rodgers

Karen Cohn is the co-founder of The ZAC Foundation, a national water safety and drowning prevention organization. Karen lost her son Zachary Cohn at the age of 6 after his arm became trapped in a pool drain, and she has made it her life’s work to prevent another water tragedy from happening to another family.

Adam Rodgers is the executive director of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Stoneham & Wakefield (BGCSW). BGCSW provides program opportunities for approximately 1,000 boys and girls each year, including hosting its first ZAC camp on June 27-30 to teach more than 100 local kids how to be safe in any body of water.