Can You Spot The Drowning Child Before The Lifeguard Does?

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The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said that 'drowning is responsible for more deaths among young children than any other cause'. There are an average of 3,536 fatal drownings annually in the United States; the majority of which are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency department care for nonfatal submersion injuries.

The CDC claims that among the main factors that affect drowning risk are lack of swimming ability and lack of close supervision while swimming. Many adults and children report that they can't swim. Research has shown that participation in swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning considerably. Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water (such as bathtubs, swimming pools, buckets), and even in the presence of lifeguards.

An adult should actively watch children at all times while they are in a pool. For infants and toddlers, an adult should be IN the water and within arm's reach, providing "touch supervision". For older children, an adult should be paying constant attention and free from distractions, like talking on the phone, socializing, or tending to household chores. The supervising adult must know how to swim.

An adult should always be present when access to a pool is open. Many parents think that they can slip away for a few minutes and that their kid will be fine at or near the pool alone. They justify it by thinking that it's 'only a few minutes'. A lot of bad can happen in just a few minutes. A mother of twins left them unattended for just a few minutes while she ran upstairs. The mother didn't realize that the backyard pool gate was not fully locked. The three year old twins scampered outside and through the unlocked gate. When the mother came downstairs she found them drowned in the pool. She left for 'just a few minutes' and now she has to suffer their loss for the rest of her life. Always have adult supervision at pools.

Designate a responsible adult to watch children while swimming or playing around water. Because drowning occurs quickly and quietly, adults must be on high alert. This same level of caution should be exercised even if a lifeguard is at the pool.

Mobile technology, such as cellphones and tablets, are extremely attention-intensive. Young children can very quickly get themselves into dangerous situations at the pool if they are not closely supervised. Research has indicated a 10% increase in unintentional childhood injuries since the introduction of the iPhone. Studies have furthermore suggested that parents who believe they are only on their cellphones for a few seconds at a time, are often absorbed for more than three minutes at a stretch without taking their eyes off the device. Just imagine the potential trouble young children could get themselves into in just three minutes while their parents are distracted, especially at or near pools. Emergency departments are seeing the growing use of hand-held devices as a factor that has exacerbated the injury rates for young children. Always be alert.

Seconds count...learn CPR. CPR performed by bystanders has been shown to save lives and improve outcomes in drowning victims. The more quickly CPR is started, the better the chance of improved outcomes. In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, your CPR skills could save someone's life. Seventy percent of adults may feel helpless to act during an emergency, because they either do not know CPR or their training has significantly lapsed.

CPR is performed differently on infants, children, and adults:

Adult: 1)Call 911 - when performing CPR on an adult, you should call 911 immediately before beginning if you are the only person present; unless you believe the person is unconscious because of a blocked airway; in which case you should call 911 after providing CPR for a minute. If there are others nearby, someone else should call 911 while you begin CPR. 2)Check for a pulse - it's usually easiest to find the pulse on an adult by checking the carotid artery on the neck, just below the jaw, with two fingers. 3)Provide rescue breaths - hands-only CPR is currently recommended by the American Heart Association, particularly for people who are not experienced in delivering CPR. But if you do provide rescue breaths to an adult, you'll tilt the victim's head back slightly and clear the airway with a finger before breathing. 4)Provide compressions - for an adult, you'll provide compressions with two hands in the center of the chest, putting pressure through the heels of your hands. The depth of compression for adults should be approximately two inches. You should provide thirty compressions for every two rescue breaths.

Child: 1)Start CPR before calling 911 - most experts will tell you to start CPR immediately on a child if you are the only person present and you have to make a choice between beginning CPR and calling emergency response. This is because children are generally more resilient than adults, and their chances of survival if they receive immediate CPR are much higher; approximately seventy percent. If alone, you should call 911 after providing CPR to a child after five compression and breath cycles, which should last about two minutes. Of course, if there are other people around, someone else should call 911 immediately as you perform CPR. 2)Check for a pulse - this is the same as the process for an adult. 3)Provide rescue breaths - children's airways are more fragile than adults'. As a result, you must be more careful when providing rescue breaths to a child not to tile the head back too far. This can actually block the airway further, especially for smaller children. So be careful in tilting the head back, and breathe more gently with a child than you would with an adult. 4)Provide compressions - depending on the size of the child, you can use one or two hands to provide compressions. Because children have smaller chests than adults, the depth of compressions should be only one and a half inches. The compression and breath rate should be the same for children as for adults - thirty compressions to two rescue breaths.

Infant: 1)Perform CPR before calling 911 - as with small children, infants have a higher survival rate than adults when receiving immediate CPR. If you are alone, provide CPR first, and then call 911 after five CPR cycles or two minutes. If there is anyone else present, have that person call 911 while you provide CPR. 2)Check for a pulse - the place where you check for a pulse in infants is different than for children and adults. Instead of using the carotid artery, check for a pulse on the inside of the upper arm, where the brachial artery is found. 3)Provide rescue breaths - infants have very fragile airways that become blocked easily. Tilting the head back too far can make the problem worse. The correct position for infants is called the "sniffer's position" - which entails tilting the head back just enough to make the baby appear to be sniffing the air. When providing rescue breaths, be very gentle. Use your cheeks rather than the full strength of your lungs to expel the air into the baby's mouth.

Because babies' faces are so small, you can cover their entire mouth and nose rather than just their mouth when providing rescue breaths. 4)Provide compressions - because they are so small, babies only require two fingers in the center of the chest during chest compressions. Compressions for infants should only be an inch to an inch and a half deep. Frequency should be thirty compressions to two rescue breaths.

Other considerations - you should always check for consciousness before performing CPR. Before beginning CPR on a child or adult, you should tap the shoulder or shake the victim to determine consciousness. For an infant, shaking is not advised. Instead, gently stroke the baby, or tap the soles of the feet, and watch for movement or another response.

Another thing to consider is the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED). If you have access to an AED, you should use it after five cycles or about two minutes of CPR. Use the pediatric pads on children, if available.

Find local classes through the American Red Cross. Visit http://redcross.org/take-a-class for latest listings of local CPR classes offered.

Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning by as much as eighty-eight percent among young children. Children need to learn to swim. It is a life skill. It is recommended that children 3 years and older have formal swim lessons. Children ages 1 to 3 years who are ready to learn how to swim should also take swim lessons. Studies performed by the American Red Cross and the National Lifeguard Association show that the best swimmers received swim lessons, not just from a swim teacher, but also supplemental swim instruction from one of their parents. While some swim programs claim to teach water survival skills to children less than 12 months old, evidence does not show that they are effective in preventing drowning. Swim lessons do not provide "drown-proofing" for children of any age, so supervision and other layers of protection are necessary even for children who have learned swimming skills.

Some factors you may consider before starting swimming lessons for younger children include 1)the frequency of exposure to water, 2) emotional maturity and 3)physical limitations

If interested in swim lessons, then check out these videos that'll show you how to teach your own child to swim >>> www.vimeo.com/ondemand/swimlessons

There are some general common-sense rules that, if followed, can ensure your kids safety at the pool. The following are some of the more common rules: 1)No running on the pool deck - it is easy for your child to slip and seriously hurt themselves if they run on the slippery deck. 2)No diving in a pool that is not deep enough - serious spinal cord injuries, permanent brain damage, and death can occur to swimmers who dive into shallow water or spring upward on the diving board and hit it on the way down. Keep safe by following these simple common-sense diving rules: a)Check how deep the water is. Enter the water feet first, especially when going in for the first time. b)Never dive into above-ground pools; they are usually not deep enough. c)Never dive into the shallow end of a pool. d)Never dive through inner tubes or other pool toys. e)Learn how to dive properly by taking classes. 3)Keep toys away from the pool when the pool is not in use - remove floats, balls and other toys from the pool and surrounding area immediately after use so children are not tempted to enter the pool area unsupervised. 4)Empty blow-up pools after each use - an exposed body of water such as this is usually unattended and a child could accidentally fall in. 5)Make sure the pool gate is closed after entering and locked after you're done at the pool. 6)Use the buddy system - always swim with a buddy. Select swimming sites that have lifeguards when possible. 7)Air-filled or foam toys are NOT safety devices - don't use air-filled or foam toys, such as 'water wings', 'noodles', or inner-tubes, instead of life jackets. These toys are not life jackets and are not designed to keep swimmers safe.

Drowning can happen any time and surprisingly even in shallow water. Knowing what you are required to do to rescue a drowning person safely helps save lives. A simple process to carry out when rescuing a drowning person is, 1)call for help, 2)reach, 3) throw, 4)go and 5)care for the victim.
Call for help - Call 911 to report the incident as soon as possible. An adult can struggle in water about three minutes but a child can only last less than thirty seconds. Therefore, action should be taken very fast to rescue a drowning person. You can also scream to attract the attention of people who can join to assist in rescuing the victim.
Reach - This is quite risky and a lot of care should be taken. You should ensure that you are in a safe position and cannot be pulled in by the victim; lying flat on the floor and stretch your hand towards the victim. If you cannot reach the victim, use a long pole or a towel and taking care not to hit him or her, throw it towards him and after he grasps it, you can pull it to a safe position. Another way to reach the victim is to get into the water and with one hand holding the edge of the pool, stretch the other hand towards the victim and after he grasps you can slowly pull him towards safety.
Throw - Most swimming pools have safety rings that are attached to a long rope. They usually float and they can be used to save a drowning victim. Throw the ring towards the victim and ask him/her to grab it then pull it towards you.
Go - Swimming to rescue someone drowning should be the last resort. It requires swimming skills and a lot of training before doing it. This is because a drowning person is violent and may pose danger to the rescuer. They may try to climb on the rescuer to be able to breath, which may cause him to drown too. However, if you have to swim out to rescue a drowning person, carry a towel with you or any object that the victim can hold on to as you tow him to safety ensuring that you are at a safe distance from him. Remember to not swim right up to the victim, since he or she is likely to push you under the water. If you have a rescue buoy or other flotation device then keep it between you and the victim.

As any parent knows, childcare is a full-time job because children are inherently curious and extremely energetic. To keep them from mischief and out of harm's way, adults taking care of children have to be alert at all times, while constantly assessing the surrounding environment. Distracted parenting is without a doubt becoming more prevalent and presents a very real threat, as parents engrossed in using their smartphones, tablets or laptops may well neglect to look out for their youngsters' safety, especially at or near swimming pools. It only takes seconds for a child to drown...and you're left with a lifetime of regret and pain.

Always remember the six keys to pool safety: 1)Always have adult supervision, 2)Be alert, 3) Be trained in CPR, 4)Give your kids swim lessons (with a teacher and supplemental lessons with you), 5)Follow the pool rules, and 6)Learn how to rescue drowning victims.

By understanding the principles presented in this guide, you will be empowered with the knowledge and skills that you need to keep your kids safe at or near the swimming pool.