Summer Water Safety

As South Carolina gets hotter, many of us are spending more time in pools, lakes and at the beach. While the water offers some cool relief, it can also present a real danger to our children and families.

Drowning is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States, killing approximately 10 people per day. Drowning is also the leading cause of unintentional death for children ages 1-4. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), even when drowning isn’t fatal, it can cause severe brain damage resulting in disabilities or loss of basic functions.

To help prevent drowning, always follow these water safety tips:

• Learn to swim, and make sure your children know how to swim (Need lessons? Check out the YMCA of Greater Spartanburg).
• Learn CPR – it can greatly improve the chances of survival for a drowning victim. Classes are offered regularly at Spartanburg Community College.
• Stay within arm’s reach of young swimmers.
• Use a buddy system for adults and children; this prevents anyone from getting lost or going unnoticed.
• Keep all nonswimmers in U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets. On boats, everyone under age 12 must wear life jackets at all times—that’s the law in Spartanburg.
• Appoint an adult to watch swimmers at all times. This adult should not consume alcohol.
• Follow these boating safety tips from Spartanburg Water.
• Know how to recognize the signs of drowning – they’re not what you think. This informative, must-watch video explains that drowning is a quiet, hard-to-notice phenomenon, not the arm-waving, calling-out drama we’ve seen in movies. Watch and share the video with those who may swim with you or your children. 

If you own a pool at your residence, install four-sided fencing around the pool to completely enclose it from from the house and yard. Also, check that the drains work properly, make sure everyone in the house knows how to swim, and learn CPR. You and your children can take the Pool Safety Pledge as a way to ensure everyone is following the rules.

Following these rules can help ensure your family is safe near water, and others are safe while swimming with you. The attorneys at Hodge & Langley Law Firm wish you and your family a happy and safe summer.