LOGAN – Most schools in Cache Valley will be out for summer break this weekend and the mercury is rising, sending more people to swimming pools and beaches to cool off. Safety is key when recreating at places where water is the key to having fun.
The Utah Department of Health and Human Services claim roughly 31 people in the state drown every year. Their statistics from 2011 to 2020 show 52 percent of toddlers 0-4 years old are the largest group of victims in water related deaths. May through August is when 70 percent of children succumb to drowning, and 34 percent of those are in open water.
Seventy percent of Utah drownings happen in late spring and summer months, May through August, and 52% of Utah children who drowned were toddlers aged 1-4.
The organization gives the following tips to help keep everyone safe around the water:
• Never leave your child alone in the bathtub.
• Children and teens should always swim with an adult.
• Check water sources, like pools, streams, or canals if you can’t find your child.
• Designate an adult water watcher to actively supervise children in and around the water at all times.
• Everyone should wear a life jacket when in open bodies of water.
• Learn CPR to help save a life.
• Drain kiddie pools and buckets of water when not in use.
• Enclose pools and hot tubs with self-closing and locking gates.
The Young Men’s Christian Association, better known as YMCA of USA, has launched a new water safety campaign for adults taking children to play in the water including pools, lakes and streams.
“Phones Down, Eyes Up” campaign urges parents and caregivers to put devices and books down and away while supervising kids in and around water including private yard kiddy pools.
“Whether it’s a text, a work email, or scrolling through social media, distractions around water can quickly lead to dangerous situations,” said Lindsay Mondick, Director of Aquatics Safety and Strategy at Y-USA. “Phones Down, Eyes Up is a call to action for families to be fully present and attentive when supervising children in or around water.”
The campaign also endorses choosing an adult to be a “water watcher,” watching kids in and around water, completely distraction-free. The water watcher should be alcohol free and refrain from chatting and not have a phone. Even children who know how to swim can drown.
“People think they’ll hear someone if they’re struggling in the water, but drowning is silent and can happen in as little as 30 seconds,” she said. “When we’re looking at our phones, we don’t see what’s happening around us.”
Not letting your guard down around older kids is a major piece of water safety that is often overlooked. Accidents can happen, especially in large groups because others assume someone else is watching.
YMCA recommends using barriers like fences and alarms to help prevent drowning, especially in young children. They also recommend enrolling children in swim lessons as young as 6 months of age, as well as water safety courses, which teach little ones what to do if they unexpectedly find themselves in water.
YMCA of the USA recommends non-swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved lie jackets designed to keep a person’s head above water. Arm floaties can give parents a false sense of security, and are not enough to prevent drowning.