Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Remember Water Safety Rules During Summer Pool, Beach Visits

DR. FAY BOOZMAN

DIRECTOR

ARKANSAS DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

For many families, visits to the community pool, water park or beach are essential summer ritual. But smooth waters can turn rough when basic water safety is ignored. Two-thirds of all drownings occur between May and August.

"Toddlers and children love to play in water. They're so attracted to water, they often are not aware of the dangers." Virginia Lancaster, coordinator of the Arkansas SAFE KIDS Coaltion, says. "It only takes an inch of water for a child to drown, and this can happen in the time it takes a parent or caregiver to answer the phone."

Drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in Arkansas among children ages 14 and under. Many drownings and near-drownings occur when children are left unattended by a pool or in the bathtub.

The National SAFE KIDS Coalition offer the following safety tips to prevent unintentional drownings:

• Never leave children unattended near water. Watch while children are playing, even in shallow splash pools.
• Teach children to swim. Enroll them in swimming lessons taught by qualified instructors when your child is ready, usually after age three.
• Do not assume your child is 'drown-proof.' Even though your child may have learned to swim, he or she still needs constant supervision.
• Avoid a broken neck or head injury do not let children dive into water unless an adult is present and knows that the depth of the water is greater than nine feet.
• Pay attention to the water itself. Be aware of the undercurrents and the changing natural of waves and undertows when at the ocean or lake.
• Use Coast Guard-approved personal flotation devices (PFDs, or life jackets) when boating, regardless of distance to be traveled, size of boat or swimming ability of boaters. A child younger than 13 must wear a well-fitting life jacket at all times while aboard a boat.
• Install a four-sided isolation pool fence with self-closing and self-latching gates around swimming pools. Prevent children from having direct access from the house or yard to a swimming pool. Drownings occur most often in swimming pools. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), about 60 to 90 percent of drownings among children four years or younger occur in residential pools, and more than half of these drownings occur at the child's own home. The CPSC reports in-ground pools without complete fencing are 60 percent more likely to be the site of a drowning than pools with fencing.
• Children younger than 12 may not operate a boat powered by a motor over 10-horsepower except when under the direct supervision of a person older than 17.
• Children younger than 12 may not operate personal watercraft (such as Jet-skies, Sea-doos, etc.) unless under the direct supervision of someone at least 21 years of age who is in position to take immediate control of the craft. Children between the ages of 12 and 13 must be under the direct supervision of a person at least 18 years old while riding a personal watercraft. Occupants of personal watercraft are required to wear life jackets.

For more information about swimming safety, contact Virginia Lancaster, coordinator of the Arkansas SAFE KIDS Coalition, Arkansas Department of Health at 501-661-2278.