Pool Safety (ER)
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Comment| Wednesday, May 14th, 2008 | Emily Halevy | CWK Producer |
“The parents say they’re not going to let them swim unattended. But their level of attention to them while they’re in the pool is very low. They’re talking to their friends, they’re reading their magazine.”
– Sean Penn, American Red Cross
As summer approaches, we head into the season when kids are at the highest risk of drowning. Every year, hundreds of children drown in the U.S. -- it is a leading cause of death for children under 5. How many of those children drowned while being supervised by adults? Almost all of them.
Three-year-old Kyle walked to the swimming pool and fell in. Nobody saw him. Not the four adults on the deck, not the other two adults in the pool.
“He just slipped under the radar. Got out of the chair and went below everybody’s eyesight,” says Peter Monahan, Kyle’s father.
Two minutes later, someone saw him at the bottom of the pool. Kyle wasn’t breathing. His heart had stopped. The 911 call was frantic:
“He’s drowning!”
“Who?”
“The baby!”
“How old?”
“Three!”
“Three years old?”
“Yes, please hurry!”
According to the Consumer Products and Safety Commission, 300 children under the age of 5 drown every year in a swimming pool -- most while being supervised by their parents.
“The parents say they’re not going to let them swim unattended. But their level of attention to them while they’re in the pool is very low. They’re talking to their friends, they’re reading their magazine,” says Sean Penn, American Red Cross.
Parents may also assume that if their child is in trouble, they’ll notice.
“Once they’ve slipped beneath the water, they’ve got no air to breath, they’ve got no way to make any noise, and if they’re small enough and the water’s deep enough … they’re going to be so far away from the surface that they can’t make any splashing noise,” says Penn.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends “touch” supervision for children younger than five. This means that the child is within arm’s reach at all times. Experts also warn that parents can’t take their eyes off a child near water for even a few seconds. And, just in case, all parents should learn CPR.
Kyle was lifeless for at least three minutes, but after his father gave him CPR, his pulse and breath returned.
The next 911 call was slightly calmer:
“He’s crying; he’s throwing up.”
“Okay, he’s crying, he’s throwing up, that’s good.”
“There’s no way to express how happy and how grateful we are to have our son back,” says Monahan.
“It just makes you realize how precious life is, and how easy it could be gone,” says Kyle’s mother, Kim Monahan.
Tips for Parents
The following advice is shared by pediatrician Dr. Karen Dewling from Emory University in Atlanta, Ga.:
- Small children should not be left unattended near water (this includes water that is inside the house, such as toilets or buckets of water). A child can drown in as little as 2 inches of water, even in a pail or tub.
- Backyard pools should have a fence that is at least 5 feet on all four sides. Teach children NOT to climb over it.
- Have children learn to swim and learn water skills at an early age from an expert experienced in teaching children.
- Drain water out of children’s pools and off of pool and spa covers.
- Inform children about the hazards of playing in and near streams, lakes, ponds, etc.
- Keep toys that might entice children away from pool sides.
- Lifeguards at your local pool are not a replacement for parents. Help enforce rules that do not allow parents to drop off their children under age 10.
Important facts:
- Children less than 1 year of age most frequently drown in bathtubs and buckets
- Children between the ages of 1-4 years most often drown in home or apartment swimming pools
- Children between 5-19 most often drown in lakes, ponds, rivers, and pools
References
- American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
- American Red Cross
