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Can your child roll over, float on his/her back, and yell for
help?
This is the most important technique children can use to protect
themselves from drowning while alerting others to their danger. For
more information about the instructors in your area, contact
Central Florida YMCA Safe Start Program or
Infant Swimming Resource.
Does your child take refresher swimming classes every year?
Rapidly changing skills, different levels of development, and a limited
attention span require that a child’s swimming abilities be continually
updated.
Can you save your child?
The American Heart Association and the American Red Cross recommend
that all care givers (parents, grandparents, babysitters, etc) must learn
First Aid/CPR to use in the event of an emergency. Classes are
offered through both of these organizations throughout Central
Florida, click here for
American Heart Association or
American Red Cross.
Did you know...
- Drowning is defined as death by suffocation after submersion in
a liquid medium. Near drowning is a term used when a person recovers,
at least temporarily, from a drowning event.
- A child can drown in the time it takes to answer the phone.
-----U.S.
Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)
- An average of 240 children under 5yrs old drown in swimming
pools nationwide each year ----CPSC
- For every child who drowns, three receive emergency department
care for non- fatal submersion injuries. More than 40% of these children
require hospitalization. Nonfatal incidents can cause brain damage
that result in long-term disabilities ranging from memory problems
and learning disabilities to the permanent loss of basic functioning
(i.e. permanent vegetative state). ----Center for Disease Control 2003
- Nearly 90% of drowning deaths in children between the ages of
1 and 14 happen under the supervision of another person, usually a
family member. Supervision is defined as "being in the care of another
individual, not necessarily in their direct line of sight."
----National
SAFE KIDS Campaign
- Typical medical costs for a near-drowning victim can range from
$75,000 for initial treatment to $180,000 a year for long-term care.
The total cost of a single near drowning that results in brain injury
can be more than $4.5 million. The total annual lifetime cost of drowning
among children ages 14 and under is approximately $6.8 billion, with
children ages 4 and under accounting for $3.4 billion, or half, of
these costs. ----Children’s Safety Network
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