May is National Water Safety Month: Learn more From the YMCA

May is National Water Safety Month: Tips From the YMCA to Stay Safe Around Water

The YMCA of Greater Nashua wants to ensure that water safety doesn’t get lost in our community’s eagerness to jump into summer. As temperatures rise, kids want to cool off, whether that is in home pools, ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, or oceans. And that means the risk of drowning is as prevalent as ever. For National Water Safety Month this May, the YMCA OF Greater Nashua is encouraging parents and caregivers to reinforce the importance of water safety skills with the whole family.

“As ‘America’s Swim Instructor,’ the YMCA of Greater Nashua annually teaches more than 3,500 children and adults valuable water safety and swimming skills,” said Elizabeth Covino, chief community relations officer. “Now more than ever, it’s important to remind parents and caregivers that water safety needs to be top-of-mind as families start to return to their favorite summertime activities.”

May is Water Safety Month, and as we share Water Safety information with our community, our goal this year is to make sure that everyone has access to swimming lessons and tips on how to help us eliminate fatal drownings in our community. Our successful Adaptive Swimming Lesson program helps us expand our reach of programming so that everyone has the opportunity to learn to be safe around water while our Water Watcher Pledge helps to provide guidelines for better ensuring the safety of others while they enjoy the water this summer and beyond.

Fatal drowning is the leading cause of accidental death for children ages one to four and the second leading cause of death for children ages five to 14. Together, we can eliminate another tragedy from happening in our community. Become a WATER WATCHER by agreeing to:

• Always actively watch children around water.
• Keep my eyes on the water at all times.
• Avoid any distractions like talking/playing on the phone, socializing or reading.
• Keep my phone near the water in case of any emergency.
• Enroll children in swim lessons to help them stay safe around water.
• Remain by the water until relieved by a new Water Watcher.
• In an emergency, clear all people from the water, and call 9-1-1.
• Become trained in CPR.

As part of National Water Safety Month, the YMCA of Greater Nashua is encouraging parents to play an active role in promoting water safety and providing six tips to ensure a safe and enjoyable swimming experience for all:

• Make sure children know to always ask permission before going in or near the water. Teaching your children to be water smart is the first step in water safety – be sure they understand the importance of asking permission before going in or near the water.
• Never swim alone or without a water watcher. When children are swimming, make sure they are actively supervised at all times.  Teach your children that they should only swim in locations where a lifeguard is on duty, or where a responsible adult agrees to watch the children in the water without distractions.
• Supervise your children whenever they’re in or near water. Whether it’s bath time or taking a dip in a pool or waterfront, make sure your children are within arm’s reach at all times.
• Don’t engage in breath holding activities. Children should not hold their breath for a prolonged amount of time while swimming, as this can be dangerous.
• Wear a life jacket. Inexperienced or non-swimmers should wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket.
• Don’t jump in the water to save a friend who is struggling in deep water. If a child finds their friend in deep water unexpectedly, their natural reaction may be to jump in the water to try to save them. Even if a child is a great swimmer, a panicked person will overpower them, pulling the rescuer underwater. The Y’s Safety Around Water program teaches the “reach, throw, don’t go” concept of using a long object to reach for them and pull them to safety. By using this technique children can help their friend without compromising their own safety.

To learn more about the YMCA of Greater Nashua’s Safety Around Water and Y Swim Lessons program, visit our Swim Programs Page (https://nmymca.org/programs/swim/) or reach out to Allie Thomas at athomas@nmymca.org (Merrimack Y) or Skip Bryan at sbryan@nmymca.org (Nashua Y).