My classes have ended and grades have been submitted. It is officially summer.
Summer is a time to get outside, create new routines, and participate in healthy activities. It is also a time when many of us travel. With summer on the horizon, I am writing a six-part summer health and safety series. Last week I shared my summer plans and how we will be moving our bodies this summer.
Today I’m talking about water safety.
As I have shared previously, I was a swimmer growing up and spent many-many summers lifeguarding (at this amazing community pool). Lifeguarding looks like a cushy job. And it is.
Until it isn’t…
One sunny afternoon (during the summer of 1995) I was sitting in my lifeguard chair looking out over the crowded pool. The water in the section of the pool where I was guarding was ~3 feet deep. It was not the day or the depth of water that I expected to pull a drowning child out of the pool.
The little girl I rescued that day was 3 years old. She was playing in water that she could stand in and she was with an adult (who was in the pool watching/playing with her and five other children).
This (non-fatal) drowning was preventable. It should not have happened, but it did. And on my watch…
Drowning in real life does not look like drowning in the movies.1
If you’ve ever watched an episode of Baywatch, know that they got it ALL WRONG. When a person is really drowning, they are verticle in the water (if they are conscious, they may look like they are trying to climb an invisible ladder). Often their mouth is at water level and they are tilting their chin upward (almost as if they are floating on their back; they are NOT face down in the water). Someone who is drowning is NOT splashing around. They are NOT able to make noise or call for help.
By the time I recognized that a child was drowning in front of me, she was unconscious. I don’t remember how I got her out of the water. I remember blowing my whistle to alert the other lifeguards that I was making a rescue. And I remember hearing the ambulance as it got closer and closer to the pool. According to a patron at the pool, I pulled the little girl out of the water, recognized she wasn’t breathing, and began CPR immediately. She was revived by the time the paramedics arrived. And she made a full recovery.
Rescuing a drowning child scared the hell out of me.
It made me realize how quickly a child (or anyone) can drown — even at a pool with lifeguards. Even with adult supervision.
Drowning can happen in a heartbeat.
Drowning is fast and silent. An individual can die within 20-60 seconds.
According to CDC — more children ages 1-4 years die from drowning than any other cause of death. Nonfatal drownings are often associated with brain damage and other long-term disabilities. And drownings can occur in swimming pools, natural bodies of water, and even a bathtub. Nearly 1/4 of all child drownings happen during a family gathering at a pool.
What can you do to prevent drowning this summer?
First, we must all commit to never swimming alone. Even if you are an elite athlete, you should never get into a body of water alone. If you don’t know the story of Fran Crippen’s death during a world championship open water swim, please read this.
And commit to never swimming alone.
Children should always be supervised by an adult when they are in/near a body of water (including a bathtub). NOTE — supervision should be by an adult who can swim, knows what a drowning child looks like, and has access to a lifesaving device.
And anyone who swims as a form of exercise or enjoyment should NEVER swim in a pool or body of water when there is no one else around.
NEVER ever.
I consider myself to be a decent swimmer, but when I am out swimming in the summer, I do it with friends. And a pull a safety buoy behind me AT.ALL.TIMES.
Second, everyone should learn how to swim, especially if they are going to be around/near water. Children as young as 6 months can take swimming lessons. And adults at any age can learn to swim. Want to find lessons near you? Use this tool.
Third, wear a life jacket —
Note — it MUST be a life jacket. One that this approved by the US Coast Guard.
Water wings, pool noodles, water rings, and floats (of any kind)
are NOT life-saving devices.
I once rescued a kid who nearly drowned because he put water wings on his feet (picture on the top left). And my own son nearly drowned in a water ring (picture in the center) — he tried to shimmy out of the ring head-first and his feet got stuck. So his head was underwater and he couldn’t get out of the ring.
So while these pool toys/float can be fun. They are NOT a substitute for learning to swim, wearing a life jacket (especially when one is required on a boat or kayak), or adult supervision.
It is also important to note that clothing — a t-shirt or gym shorts worn as a substitute for a bathing suit — gets VERY heavy in the water and can lead to drowning, even if the individual knows how to swim. Again, I once reduced a member of a swim team who was participating in a wet t-shirt relay event. The shirt was too big and too heavy and she could not swim with it on. Nor could she get the t-shirt off while in the pool in water that was ~6 feet deep.
Wearing a proper bathing suit is a safety requirement.
Finally, it is important to remember that swimming in the hot summer sun is exhausting. We all need rest breaks. And we all need to stay hydrated if we are spending a day at the pool. Safety breaks (~10 minutes per hour) are necessary.
I want to encourage each of you to adopt the mantra —
Safety first, FIRST
this summer when you are swimming. My boss at the pool where I lifeguarded loved that phrase. And while it is corny, it captures the importance of prioritizing water safety.
Do NOT swim alone.
Take lessons. Learn to swim (it is never too late to learn. NEVER).
Wear a life jacket.
Do NOT assume a float is safe or will serve as a lifesaving device.
Take safety breaks.
Learn CPR.
And watch your children.
Do you have questions about water safety? Or want to hear more stories from my lifeguarding days?
And please share this post. Getting the word out about water safety is important. It could save a life!
Be sure you know what a drowning person looks like.
I tried as a kid to sit and float on a boat cushion. I had my legs in the strap, no no, no, my feet where floating and my head under water. I never saw my mom jump out of our boat so fast in my life. My dad threw that cushion out. Really scared me, I think I was like 16,
Yes!! Also, water acts as an amplifier for the sun’s rays, so extra sunscreen but also watch out for feet on hot concrete near pools! Water shoes are great for both pool and open water swims, especially around bodies of water where a careless fisherman might leave a hook on the beach or in the bottom at wading depth. I grew up on the banks of the Sacramento River, and I remember several childhood friends stepping on fishing hooks at multi-use beaches. A good time to update your tetanus vaccine if needed too right?