Lifeguard to parents: watch children in the pool
Published 10:02 am Thursday, July 14, 2016
Whether it’s in rivers, creeks, lakes or just a swimming pool, swimming is a common way to have fun and stay cool in the summer. But swimming can also be dangerous, and there have been two local drownings in the past three weeks.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, statistically about 10 unintentional drownings happen every day, and one in five are 14 or under.
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, toddlers can drown in as little as a bucket of water.
According to Erich Fischer, a lifeguard for the Wesson Family Swim Club, parents should always be supervising parents when they swim, even at a pool with lifeguards.
“Parents put too much trust in the lifeguard,” Fischer said. “I’m just a 17 year old dude with 20-30 lives on my hand.”
Fischer may be 17, but he was trained for the position — to recognize active and passive drowning, to pull people out of the water and to provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation. Fisher said drowning victims often do not scream out or make a lot of noise.
“They’re going to be using their breath to try and breathe,” Fischer said. “You need to look out for splashing and discomfort.
According to Fischer, rivers and creeks provide a unique challenge because you can’t see under the water.
“In a pool, you can check the whole volume of water,” he said. “In rivers, you may have snakes or rocks you can’t see below the surface of the water.”
The Centers for Disease Control and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend installing a fence at least four feet high around all sides of a pool to prevent a young child from entering unsupervised. Swimming lessons are also recommended.