Moms Talk: Staying Safe This Holiday Weekend, Summer

Most pools will officially open this holiday weekend, and with the school year coming to a close and the temperatures rising, so will the potential for drowning or submersion incidents, according to a press release from Prince William County Police.

Drowning is the fifth leading cause of unintentional deaths in Virginia and the second leading cause of unintentional injury among children 14 years of age and
under nationally. 

According to the Virginia Department of Health and Division of Injury and
Violence Prevention, during a five year period from 2002 - 2006, 46% of drowning deaths occurred in rivers, lakes, bays and other natural bodies of water, 13% occurred in swimming pools and 12% occurred in bathtubs, the release said.

Children, under the age of 5, are a high risk for drowning for several reasons:

• They are active, curious, and spontaneous.

• Their bodies are top-heavy.

• They do not have an understanding of the dangers of pools and standing water.

• They do not struggle when they are in the water; therefore they drown without making a sound.

Another alarming fact regarding younger children is the majority of drownings often occur when adults are present, but become distracted when engaged in other activities.

That is why local authorites are urging caution this weekend when you and your loved ones are in and around water.

Here are some tips on how to have a fun, but safe holiday weekend and summer:

• NEVER leave a child unsupervised near a pool, spa, bathtub, toilet, water-filled bucket, pond or any standing body of water for even a second

• Designate a responsible adult to be the “Water Watcher” of young children while in and around water. The designated adult should not be involved in other distracting activities, i.e., answering the phone, playing games, etc.

• Install a four-sided, 5-foot fence gate that is self-closing and self-latching (latches should be above a child’s reach). The fence should surround any pool or spa with openings no more than 4 inches wide to prevent children from squeezing through the spaces.

• DO NOT use flotation devices, i.e. air-filled or foam toys, noodles or inner tubes in place of life jackets/pfds (personal flotation devices). Many flotation devices are considered as toys and not designed to keep swimmers safe.

• DO NOT allow children to play in and around the pool or spa area. Remove all toys, balls and floats from around or in a pool.

• Have your child take lessons and learn to swim

• Learn CPR! It saves lives.
  
  

Editor's Note: Information provided by Prince William County Police Department