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Drowning is the second leading cause of death among children under age 14 and the leading cause of death among children between 1 and 4 years old, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and non-fatal drowning is a leading cause of permanent brain damage. Here are three ways to become water wise and the safety measures that help you get there. 1. Establish and practice swimming rules. Those should include: ● Always actively supervise children in and around water. Don’t leave, even for a moment. Stay where you can see, hear and reach kids in water. Avoid talking on the phone, preparing a meal, reading and other distractions. ● Make sure children take swimming lessons when they’re ready, usually after age 4. Check with the local department of parks and recreation or Red Cross chapter to find a certified instructor, and look for classes that include emergency water survival techniques training. ● Teach children to swim only in designated swimming areas and never to swim without an adult watching them closely. ● Don’t let children dive into water less than 9 feet deep, and no one should dive into a river, lake or ocean because you can’t see what is beneath the water. ● Follow the posted rules at all swimming areas. ● Teach kids the safe way to help someone in trouble in the water: call for help and throw the person something that floats. ● Learn CPR and keep rescue equipment, such as a lifesaving ring, a telephone and emergency phone numbers poolside. 2. Use barriers to keep kids away from water dangers. ● Four-sided isolation fencing at least five feet high and equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates should be installed around all pools. This includes inflatable pools and spas. ● Fencing should completely enclose the pool or spa and prevent direct access from a house or yard. ● Install pool alarms, pool covers, door alarms, locks and additional barriers of protection. ● Never prop open the gate to a pool barrier or leave toys that could attract children to a pool. ● Empty buckets, wading pools and other containers immediately after use, and store them upside down and out of reach. ● Though you may not associate drowning with a bathroom, it happens. Keep toilet lids down and locked and doors to bathrooms and utility rooms closed when not in use. 3. Don’t underestimate the dangers of pool drains. ● Pool drains are an often-overlooked drowning hazard. Teach children never to go near a pool drain, with or without a cover, and to pin up long hair when in water. ● Install multiple drains in all pools, spas, whirlpools and hot tubs. This minimizes the suction of any one drain, reducing risk of death or injury. ● Regularly check to make sure drain covers are secure and have no cracks. Replace flat drain covers with dome-shaped ones. ● Know where the manual cut-off switch for the pump is in case of emergency. ● Consider installing an approved safety vacuum release system, a tool that quickly and automatically turns off the pump (and stops the suction) when something is trapped in or blocks the drain. It wouldn’t be summer without a visit to the lake, the beach or a friend’s pool to cool off during the dog days. But before you head for the wet stuff, be sure your family is aware of the dangers to ensure safer water fun. (Sidebar) Numbers that speak volumes ● Children can drown in as little as one inch of water and are therefore also at risk of drowning in wading pools, bathtubs, buckets, diaper pails, toilets, spas and hot tubs. ● More than half of drownings among children ages 1 to 4 are pool-related. ● Since 1980, more than 230 children ages 4 and under have drowned in spas and hot tubs. ● Installation of four-sided isolation fencing could prevent 50 to 90 percent of childhood residential swimming pool drownings and near-drownings. ● Children ages 5 to 14 most often drown at open-water sites such as rivers, lakes and oceans. ● In 2003, 200 children ages 14 and under sustained injuries in reported recreational boating accidents involving personal watercraft. ● Approximately half of all boating deaths occur on Saturdays and Sundays and between the months of May and August. ● It is estimated that 85 percent of boating-related drownings could have been prevented if the victim had been wearing a personal flotation device. Source: Safe Kids East Central, led by the MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center MCG Health, Inc. (d/b/a MCGHealth) is a not-for-profit corporation operating the MCGHealth Medical Center, MCGHealth Children’s Medical Center, the Georgia Radiation Therapy Center, and related outpatient facilities and services throughout the state. For more information, please visit mcghealth.org. Subscribe to our FREE Ezine and be eligible for Health News, discounted products/services and coupons related to your Health. We publish 24/7. HealthNewsDigest.com Top of Page 
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