‘Phones down, eyes up’: Play it safe in the pool this summer
With the recent sweltering heat, local swimming pools are getting a lot of use this summer.
For those planning a dip in the water with family, it’s important to know how everyone can stay safe.
Autumn McLaughlin is the aquatics director for the British Swim School, which offers swim classes at the Hampton Inn in Washington and the Fairfield Inn & Suites in North Strabane Township. British Swim School offers classes for children as young as 3 months old.
According to McLaughlin, the younger someone can get in the water and begin to learn survival skills, the better.
“With three months’ water acclimation, fantastic. They won’t have a fear of the pool when they’re older,” McLaughlin said.
According to the American Red Cross, 4,000 people die from drowning in the United States annually. It is the leading cause of death in children ages 1 to 4, as well as for children and adults with autism.
For children ages 5 to 14, it is the second leading cause of death behind vehicle crashes, according to the Red Cross.
“Starting them as young as 3 months, it teaches them water safety faster,” McLaughlin said.
Amanda Titus, of Washington, enrolled her son Luxx and daughter Rowyn at British Swim School. Luxx and Rowyn are 4-year-old twins.
Titus said her kids have been taking swim classes since February. Initially, Luxx was not a fan of the water.
“He wouldn’t even get in the water for the first three classes,” Titus said.
Titus had explored lessons when her kids were younger, but could not find anything that fit with her and her husband’s work schedules.
She thinks starting earlier could have been helpful to avoid her son’s initial fear of the water.
“I totally would have put them in here at 3 months if (British Swim School) was in the area,” Titus said.
Even with basic swimming and water survival skills, proper supervision remains an important component of avoiding accidental drownings.
“With a group of people, everyone thinks another parent is watching the pool,” McLaughlin said.
She said parents should take turns being the “watcher,” rotating the role every 15 minutes.
In Pennsylvania, in-ground pools at a private residence are required by law to be surrounded by fencing that is at least 4 feet high, and has latching gates.
For an above-ground pool, the size of the walls are included in the 4-foot fencing regulation. According to state law, the ladder or steps to an above-ground pool must have a closing and latching mechanism to prevent unauthorized access by children.
McLaughlin said it is “extremely dangerous” for homeowners to not keep their gates latched and locked when the pool is not in use.
“You could even have a neighborhood kid come over and jump in your pool, and they don’t know how to swim,” she said.
Bob McCombie, the senior aquatics director at the Uniontown YMCA, said the national organization is promoting a safety initiative called “Phones down, eyes up.”
He said even at public pools, parents should not rely totally on the lifeguard for protection.
“Lifeguards are not babysitters. You still need that parental supervision. Nowadays, one of the most important things that they can do is put their phones down,” McCombie said.
According to McCombie, a drowning can occur the instant you look away.
“All it takes is a second for something to go wrong. For a child to fall into the pool, or go under,” McCombie said.
Bret Moore, director of the Greene County Department of Recreation, echoed the sentiment that parents should be vigilant even with a lifeguard on duty.
Greene County has two public pools – Greene County Water Park and Mon View Pool.
He urged parents to make sure their children follow the posted rules, and to know the limits of their swimming abilities.
“The big thing is the horse play. A lot of things can accelerate from that,” Moore said. “Parents need to be aware of the child’s limitations. They have to be vigilant, even in the shallow end, and not be complacent.”
Nicole Roschella, communications director for the American Red Cross of Greater Pennsylvania, emphasized that someone drowning is “not like we see in the movies,” where the person may be flailing and yelling for help.
“Drowning behavior is fast and silent. A person has about 60 seconds before they fully submerge in the water,” Roschella said. “That’s how critical these layers of protection are.”
McCombie agreed that you are not necessarily going to “hear” someone who is actively drowning.
“Usually someone that’s drowning, they’re trying to breathe, keep their face above water. Chances are they’re not going to be able to yell for help,” McCombie said.