Going to the lake or to the pool in the summer is a wonderful time. However, if safety isn鈥檛 front of mind, that trip can lead to a tragedy.
There have been four fatal drownings of children six years and under in Saskatchewan in the past six weeks. Three six-year-olds drowned in separate incidents in separate areas of the province and most recently, a two-year-old drowned in Moose Jaw in a back yard swimming pool. In addition, another six-year-old was successfully resuscitated last week after being pulled unconscious from a hotel pool in Prince Albert.
聽鈥淭hese incidents are so sad and so preventable. It breaks my heart,鈥� said Shelby Rushton, CEO of the Lifesaving Society in Saskatchewan. 鈥淥ne of our constant messages is for parents and caregivers to stay within arm鈥檚 reach of toddlers and young children. Taking your eyes off a child for a couple of seconds can lead to a tragedy. Once a child falls under the water, they are unable to yell or cry for help.鈥�
To prevent a similar drowning occurrence from happening to your child, please follow these water safety tips when in, on, or around water:
1.聽聽聽聽 Stay within arm鈥檚 reach of child.
2.聽聽聽聽 Install 4-sided locking fencing around your backyard pools in addition to the fenced in yard.
3.聽聽聽聽 Don鈥檛 let distractions get in the way of direct supervision of your children: stay off your phone, put your book away, and don鈥檛 get caught up in a conversation with someone while you鈥檙e supervising.
4.聽聽聽聽 Set up a buddy system with your fellow parents or caregivers for supervising children around water. Take turns being the 鈥渓ifeguard鈥� in 15 or 20 minute intervals. This will still allow you to enjoy your book, check your phone, or just sit back and relax. But, don鈥檛 do it while it鈥檚 your turn to supervise.
5.聽聽聽聽 Be extra vigilant when using inflatable toys such as swans, mattresses, etc. Children can topple off easy and drown. They may also get taken out too far by the wind and waves.
