CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — As the summer months approach, it means more swimming in pools to beat the heat.
A total of 4,000 fatal unintentional drownings happen annually in the U.S., according to the Center for Disease Control. If that number is broken down, that is an average of about 11 drowning deaths per day.
The CDC said fatal drownings are the leading cause of death in children ages 1-4.
Charles Greene is an aquatic pool supervisor with the city of Corpus Christi. He said educating yourself on pool safety is the first step ensuring a fun summer.
“If they have small children, I recommend they get in the water with them,” he said of parents being near a pool. “They stay within arms length of their child, and we also encourage them, if they have a pool at home, to take some type of safety course.”
The CDC said drownings can happen even when children are not expected to be near water, such as when they gain unsupervised access to pools.
Greene shared some tips on what to do in case a child or adult is drowning.
“First and foremost, call 911 and then remove the child from the pool. Like I mentioned before, if they have a pool, they should probably get CPR certified,” he said.
Greene said although knowing what to do in an emergency is important, learning to swim is the key.
“You don't just grow up and automatically know how to swim — you have to learn at some point, because all the pools in the area, the ocean and the bay, we think it's really important to enroll your child in a swim classes,” he said.
Children who have had swimming lessons still need close and constant supervision when in or around water for extra safety, Greene said.
For more information from the CDC regarding drowning deaths in children, clickhere.
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