Alert!
Protect Your Child with These
Life-Saving Water Safety Tips

By Richard Pass, RN, B.S.

Drowning remains the second leading cause of death for infants and children under the age of 15 in the U.S. In addition, children under the age of 5 and teenagers 15-19 years old have the highest rates of drowning in the country..
How should parents respond to these figures? How can you create a safer environment in your home to reduce the risk of a drowning accident? What represents real risk? These questions and more can be answered by simply taking the time to review the following water-related safety tips.
• Never leave an infant or small child unattended in the
bathroom, even for a few moments.
• Never leave a child alone at or near the poolside.
• Teach children water and swimming safety skills as
early as possible.
• Safeguard your swimming pool with a four-sided fence of at
least 5 feet in height completely around your pool. The gate
should have a self-closing latch and be above the child’s reach.
• If possible, alarm all doors that exit with direct access to your
swimming pool.
• Install a phone at poolside with emergency numbers clearly
posted and/or programmed into a speed-dial format.
Additional statistics reveal that in the U.S. children between the ages of 5 and 19 most often drown in lakes, ponds, rivers & pools. Clearly we cannot gate their entire world, nevertheless precautions and prevention need to be at the top of our priority list.
Yet even with the best of intentions and concern accidents still occur with infants and children in water. If something unforseen should happen, immediate action must be taken. Be prepared by establishing a plan of action for your family to take in the event of an emergency.
What to do if a drowning occurs?
First, be ready by having taken a CPR course and be sure to sharpen those skills on an annual basis. Should you pull an infant or child from a body of water and they are not responding to usual stimuli, carry out the following steps.
1. Check the victim for breathing. If no breath is pre sent, imm
diately open the child's airway and attempt 2 rescue breaths
(gently tilt the victim’s head back, cover their mouth with
yours and breath).
2. If no air enters the lungs, re-position the head and try again.
3. If air enters the lungs, check for their pulse.
4. If pulse present but no breathing, give 1 rescue breath every
3 seconds (about 20 per minute).
5. If no pulse is found, begin CPR and call 9-1-1!
If the airway is obstructed, give abdominal thrusts (Heimlich maneuver) for children or adults to clear the airway. If the victim vomits or water begins to come up, turn victim on their side to assist the material out.
Keep in mind that the Heimlich maneuver is only useful or appropriate in the event of a solid foreign body object (food vomit, mucus, toys, etc.). It is not appropriate in near-drowning situations unless there is clear evidence of an airway obstruction. (Note: *this issue was thoroughly researched in the mid-90's and the vast majority of experts agree on this point.)
Take the time to apply solid principles of safety, prevention & emergency preparedness and... oh yes, have a great summer!

*American Heart Association's Emergency Cardiac Care recommendation. (AHA.org) Richard Pass, RN, B.S, is Program Director of Save A Little Life, a CPR training program for parents & care providers. He is also employed @ Cedars-Sinai Medical Center's Cardiology Division. For more information, go to the web at savealittlelife.com