April Pools Day Launched In Williamson County, But For Serious Cause [Video]

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — It's April Pools day!

The Williamson County Commissioners Court proclaimed the day on April 11 to promote water safety. To that end, the county's Child Fatality Review Team and Williamson County Emergency Medical Services aim to educate the public on drowning prevention and related water safety issues.

Tragically, there were six water-related deaths last year in the county, three of them involving children ages four years old and younger. In 2015, there were three drownings occurring in Williamson County. Overall, drowning is the leading cause of unintentional death for children under the age of four, officials said.

Among children ages one to 14, fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death behind motor vehicle crashes. Main factors leading to drowning risk include lack of swimming ability, dearth of barriers to prevent unsupervised water access, the absence of close supervision while swimming, location, failure to wear life jackets, alcohol use, and seizure disorders, according to county officials.

Williamson County EMS and Colin’s Hope, a local non-profit organization dedicated to raising water safety awareness to prevent children from drowning, together produced a 15-second public safety announcement to remind adults that they need to be actively watching children in water and stay within an arm’s reach, officials said. The video can be viewed at www.wilco.org/ems or by clicking below.

Williamson County officials offer a number of tips to help children stay safe while in the water:

• Supervise when in or around water
• Use the Buddy System
• Learn to swim
• Wear life jackets
• Have barriers around pools
• Practice drain safety
• Be aware of hazards.
• Learn Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR)

For more water safety resources, visit www.colinshope.org.

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