|
Daily Newspaper and Travel Guide
for Pecos Country of West Texas
Lifestyle
Friday, September 14, 2001
Safety rules that can help children
"I only turned my back for a few seconds."
Too often these are the words spoken by a parent after a child drowns.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death for children under 4.
Weekend water outings in June can be the most deadly. Most drownings take
place on weekend afternoons in May through August, with June the peak month.
In Texas, 63 people drowned in June 1999.
Preliminary data also shows that in Texas 387 adults and children died
from drowning in 1999, usually in a lake, river or creek (153) or a swimming
pool (64). Another 270 were admitted for at last 24 hours of hospital treatment
and 97 were treated but not admitted. Frequently the drowning victim was
a child who was left unattended.
"Even the most innocent lapse in parental attentiveness can be deadly,"
said Jim Soper, manager of the Public Swimming Pool Inspection Program at
the Texas Department of Health (TDH). "Small children can drown in the time
it takes to answer the phone, and there's rarely splashing or cries for help
to alert anyone that a child is in trouble."
According to a U.S. Product Safety Commission survey, most drownings and
accidents occur while children are being supervised by one or both parents.
An incredible 77 percent of young drowning victims were missing from sight
five minutes or less, 46 percent were last seen in the house, and 69 percent
were not expected to be at or in the pool where they drowned.
"What's needed is active attentiveness by an adult for the entire time
the child is near the water," Soper said. "Good barriers are also necessary
_ the more the better."
Drownings at residences often happen not at the child's home but at the
home of grandparents or neighbors who have no young children.
"These homeowners often ask `why do I need fences or other protection
around my pool? I don't have any kids.' But it's visiting children who get
in trouble while the adults are elsewhere chatting," Soper said.
Almost half of all submersion incidents at pools happened at someone's
home, and half of these were at the victim's home and the other half at another
person's home.
Health officials advocate layers of protection around swimming pools because
one good barrier may not be enough. Having multiple safeguards such as fences,
door latches and alarm systems is more effective. Install pool covers designed
to prevent children from falling or otherwise entering the pool. If poorly
designed covers are used, children can fall into the pool and drown.
Pool safety is a community issue, and many communities have fence codes.
Some local building codes require a fence, an alarm or other barrier to prevent
access from the back door to the pool. Parents may call local police or health
departments to report a pool without a fence or other protection. They also
can encourage their communities to adopt local building codes that require
additional safety barriers for pools.
You can help reduce the chances your child will be a statistic. Teach
children these safety rules:
If you're playing with something that falls in the swimming pool, do not
go into the pool to get it yourself. Ask an adult to get it for you.
Never play close to the edge of the pool because you can fall in.
Always stay away from the deep end of the pool.
Never run on the pool deck or boat deck.
Always jump in feet first.
And a rule that's excellent for all ages: Never swim alone. Some additional
suggestions to help keep your children safe:
Never leave your child alone near the water, even for a just a few seconds.
Be actively attentive and keep small children within arm's reach.
Avoid swimming in natural bodies of water where water may not be sanitary
and dangerous currents, debris and rocks can't be seen from the surface.
Always use approved personal-flotation devices rather than inflatable
toys to keep your child afloat.
Have a first-aid kit, a phone and emergency phone numbers nearby.
Be sure all neighborhood pools have fences or walls at least four or five
feet high all the way around that do not have footholds for children to climb.
Avoid vertical bars more than four inches apart and chain link fences that
provide footholds.
Keep chairs, tables and other items that would enable a child to climb
or away from pool fences.
Fence gates should be self-closing and self-latching. The latch should
be out of a child's reach.
Purchase alarms. Door alarms cost about $6 at hardware stores. Wrist alarm
bands go off when children get wet. And a pool alarm goes off if anything
weighing more than 10 pounds falls in.
Learn CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) from the American Heart Association
or the American Red Cross.
For more information, call TDH's Recreational Sanitation Branch, at 512-834-6635,
or check the TDH Web site at www.tdh.state.tx.us/beh/gs/pools.htm.
Adult education and GED preparation classes set
Odessa College in cooperation with the Pecos-Barstow-Toyah ISD is offering
Adult Basic Education and GED preparation classes at Lamar Alternative Education
Center.
Classes will be offered on Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-8:30 p.m., beginning
Sept. 17. Classes are free of charge.
If you are 18 or older, officially withdrawn from public school, and wish
to enroll in the classes, contact David Reyes at 445-1146 or Odessa College
at 915-332-9477 for more information.
Pecos Enterprise
York M. "Smokey" Briggs, Publisher
Division of Buckner News Alliance, Inc.
324 S. Cedar St., Pecos, TX 79772
Phone 915-445-5475, FAX 915-445-4321
e-mail newsdesk@nwol.net
Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio and/or video material shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.
Copyright 2001 by Pecos Enterprise
|
