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Show Splash Into Safety By Terry C. Smith, Co-Chair Central Utah SAFE KIDS Chapter This May, the Utah SAFE KIDS Coalition will highlight a public water safety initiative called "Splash into Safety!" As part of this nationwide program, the coalition will host several water safety events statewide to help parents, caregivers, and children learn how to stay safe in the water this summer. From 2000 - 2002, 30 children chil-dren ages 14 and under died in Utah lakes, rivers, bathtubs, and pools. Nationally, drownings and near-drownings sent as many as 2,700 children to hospital hospi-tal emergency rooms in 2002. As many as 20 percent of near-drowning near-drowning survivors suffer severe, permanent brain damage. dam-age. Because there are so many ways children can drown, parents par-ents must be constantly aware of what their children are doing. At home, use toilet seat locks, make sure there are no buckets of water left where children can find them, and avoid leaving young children in the bathtub alone for any reason. In nearly every Utah bathtub drowning case, the child died because the parent left the room for just a minute and the child went under. Several Utah children have also died when a parent left them alone to bathe with an older sibling. sib-ling. Outside, provide constant supervision when children are in or near water, including home and neighborhood pools. At commercial pools, don't count on lifeguards to watch your toddlers tod-dlers every minute. It's estimated estimat-ed that 500 people drown every year in pools and bodies of water where lifeguards are present. pres-ent. The key to drowning prevention preven-tion outdoors is personal flotation flota-tion devices (PFDs). No one should ever board a boat without one on. Parents should know that "floaties," swim rings, and other water play toys are just that toys and will not prevent pre-vent drowning. Injuries are predictable and that means they are preventable. Make this summer season a safe one for you and your children. |