First Responders: Start a Swimming Pool Safety Campaign!

by

Chief Sam DiGiovanna

Source: https://okmag.com/blog/an-unbreakable-bond/

Summer is upon us and temperatures are heating up this week. Many people are spending their time in pools to beat the heat. Unfortunately, there is the dangerous side to summer and swimming pools.

Drowning incidents are dramatically on the rise locally and statewide. Parents whose children have drowned say the day of the tragedy started out just like any other day. No matter how the drowning happened or where it happened — pool, spa, or any other body of water — one thing was the same, the seconds that claimed their child’s life slid by silently, without warning, it happens just like that and can never be brought back.

Drowning is preventable! This is a great time for you and your agency to start a Swimming Pool Safety Campaign in your community!

Children drown without a sound. Drowning is a quiet event. There is no splashing, no screaming, and no noise at all.

What can you do to prevent drowning incidents?

Follow the ABC’s of water safety:

A = Adult Supervision. Assign an adult Water Watcher to keep their eyes on the water at ALL times. Never swim alone!

B = Barriers such as fences, self-closing and self-latching gates, pool motion sensors, window and door alarms.

C = Classes. Parents and Caregivers should take CPR and First Aid, and swimming courses that are available for both children and adults.

Visit: http://www.poolsafely.gov for more drowning prevention and safety tips.

When paddle boarding, ocean swimming, or surfing make sure you tell someone when you are leaving, when you are returning and your destination.

About Chief Sam DiGiovanna

Sam DiGiovanna is a 33-year fire service veteran. He started with the Los Angeles County Fire Department, served as fire chief at the Monrovia Fire Department and currently serves as chief at the Verdugo Fire Academy in Glendale, Calif.  Sam also serves as Executive Vice President of Fire Operations at CORDICO INC.