Lakewood Hatzolah was called to two drowning incidents in the past 3 days.
On Friday, Hatzolah was called to the scene of a child who drowned in a swimming pool, and today, Sunday, an adult drowned in a swimming pool.
Paramedics were successful in saving both lives Boruch Hashem.
The child is reportedly in stable condition, and the adult is in critical but stable condition.
Hatzolah reminds people – wherever you may be – of the dangers of swimming pools.
Below are some basic rules for your swimming pool:
•Never leave your children alone in or near the swimming pool, even for a moment. An adult who knows CPR should actively supervise children at all times.
•Practice touch supervision with children younger than 5 years old. This means that the adult is within an arm’s length of the child at all times.
•Put up a fence to separate your house from the swimming pool. Most young children who drown in pools wander out of the house and fall into the pool. Install a fence at least 4 feet high around all 4 sides of the pool. Do not use a chain-link fence (kids can climb them easily). Use gates that self-close and self-latch, with latches higher than your children’s reach.
•Pool alarms and rigid pool covers offer additional protection, but a fence is still essential.
•Keep rescue equipment (such as a shepherd’s hook or life preserver) and a telephone by the pool. Choose rescue equipment made of fiberglass or other materials that do not conduct electricity.
•Do not use air-filled “swimming aids” or floaties as a substitute for approved life vests. These may give both children and adults a false sense of security.
•Remove all toys from the pool after use so children aren’t tempted to reach for them.
•After children are done swimming, secure the pool so they can’t get back into it.
•A power safety cover that meets the standards of the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) may add to the protection of your children but should not be used in place of the fence between your house and the pool.
•Water awareness and swim lessons are important, but not sufficient to protect your child from drowning.
(Yehuda Drudgestein – YWN)
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7 Responses
All great advice. Please follow it. And please remember to WATCH YOUR CHILDREN: Just being in the pool area is no guarantee your children are safe in the water.
The title of this report is correct: it was a “near drowning.” However, the content is inaccurate:
“Lakewood Hatzolah was called to two drowning incidents in the past 3 days.
On Friday, Hatzolah was called to the scene of a child who drowned in a swimming pool, and today, Sunday, an adult drowned in a swimming pool.
Paramedics were successful in saving both lives Boruch Hashem.”
If one drowns, one is dead.
While not minimizing the importance of pool safety that this article forewarns of, please be aware that the term “drowned” connotes “death from suffocation (asphyxia) caused by a liquid entering the lungs” (rachmana litzlan). Baruch Hashem this is not the case here! Although it was a near drowning as mentioned in the headline.
BEFORE YOU READ ON STOP: Please say at least one chapter of tehillim for Yechiel Mechel Ben ester Fraisa.
Sorry, I mean Yechiel Mechel Ben Ester Fraida
also, dont forget that even in kiddie pools, one must be very vigilant. as long as the water is high enough that it would cover a childs face if flat on their back, one must watch child/ren very carefully.
Best Bubby -You’re probably too old, but they changed the medical terminology. “Near -drowning” was taken out. Drowning now refers to any case of water immersion, whether the person lives or not.
#6 Health
“Best Bubby -You’re probably too old…”
That’s pretty insulting. Respect your elders.
In any case I agree with bestbubby. This is not a medical blog, and “drowning” in the minds of the target audience is still equated with death.