As I research the need and want for a public community pool for our Maritime City, my research naturally steers in the direction of drownings. As I read and scribble down statistics in my notes my heart breaks.
•1 in 5 people who die from drownings in the USA are 14 years old or younger
•Drowning is the leading cause of injury related deaths in the US in children 1-4 years old
•Drowning is the 3rd leading cause of unintentional injury related deaths in kids 5-19 years old
•Nearly 80% who die in US drownings are male
When my own son was around 5 years old I watched him slip under the water. It happened within the first 10 minutes of me letting him take his life jacket off to give his arms a break from rubbing against the rough fabric. It happened even though I knew better. I wasn’t on my phone. I wasn’t reading a book. I was paying attention. It was fast and it was silent. I was in the water pulling him out within the first 20 seconds. Those seconds felt like a lifetime. He told me he was scared he was going to be eaten by a shark. He also told me he remembered “to catch his bubble” (hold his breath). He had only had 2 sessions of swimming lessons.
•Kids ages 5 and older are more likely to drown in natural waters such as oceans, rivers and lakes
•For every child who dies from drowning another 5 receive emergency department care for non fatal submersion injuries
Drowning is silent. Children can drown in as short a time as 20 seconds in as little as 2 inches of water.
We took a poll within our Swim Safe Gig Harbor FB group and asked;
“Do you trust your kids to swim confidently?”
•83 people said No
•22 people said not all my kids
•7 people said yes
•Learning to swim can reduce the risk of drowning by 88% for 1-4 year olds who take formal swimming lessons
•According to research by the American Red Cross in 2020 more than half (56%) of kids 4-17 years old cannot perform basic water safety skills to save their own life
We have a need in this community to do better by our children and give every child the skill and confidence to feel safe in the water.
stopdrowningnow.org
safekids.org
wlsl.org
NDPA
AAP