Child drownings spike in April; officials issue water safety warning

New data shows that nationally, there was a 90 percent increase in drownings of children in pools or spas in April versus the previous month. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, through its Pool Safely campaign, is urging parents and caregivers to be vigilant anytime their children are in or near the water.

In April 2019, there were 22 fatal child pool/spa drownings; in March, there were two. Fatal drownings for last month were also up 23 percent over April 2018, when there were 17 drownings. According to media reports, 33 percent of the child drownings in April occurred in a motel pool, where typically there are no life guards on duty.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely campaign has the final recommendations to help prevent drownings as families prepare for the summer swim season.

1. Never leave a child unattended in a pool or spa and always watch your children closely around all bodies of water.
2. Designate a Water Watcher to supervise children in the pool or spa. This person should not be reading, using a smart phone or be otherwise distracted.
3. Learn how to swim and teach your child how to swim.
4. Learn how to perform CPR on children and adults.
5. Keep children away from pool drains, pipes and other openings to avoid entrapments.
6. Ensure any pool and spa you use has drain covers that comply with federal safety standards, and if you do not know, ask your pool service provider about safe drain covers and ask your public pool if their drains are “VGB compliant.”
7. Take the Pool Safely Pledge before spending time in or near the water.

Families can visit poolsafely.gov for additional water safety tips to prepare for a summer that is safer and more fun.