ABC 7 News

Kristina Andrews interviewed with Zach Fuentes discussing layers of protection regarding pool safety following the death of two 1-year-olds and the hospitalization of one 1-year-old who gained access to a pool while at daycare. This type of education going to the public can help prevent tragedies like this from happening again. See the full news story.

The key to drowning prevention is up-to-date and accurate water safety education. Applying a layered approach to the water can help save a child’s life. Layers of protection that you can use to prevent drowning accidents are:

• Constant adult supervision. A child should be constantly supervised anytime there is more than two inches of water in the vicinity.

• Alarms on all doors and windows leading outside where there is a body of water.

• A four-sided pool fence around the pool, or a fence between your home and any body of water, (eg. canal, lake, creek, etc.)

• Swim lessons with a focus on self-rescue. Quality lessons will teach your child how to get air, be fully independant in the water (not relying on pool noodles or floatation devices), how to swim to safety, and how to pull themselves out or climb out of the pool.

• Knowing CPR, if all the other layers of protection fail, this last layer could be the difference between a fatal or a non-fatal drowning accident. Knowing how to perform CPR on a drowning victim is an important part of helping prevent drowning deaths.

For more information on water safety and drowning prevention. Follow us on social media.