By Fox23.com News Staff
TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Area Chapter of the Red Cross shared some safety tips to keep in mind during National Water Safety Month as families begin heading out to pools, lakes or rivers.
“Before families head out to pools, parks, beaches or anywhere with bodies of water, it’s important for all family members to learn and review critical water safety skills,” shared Megan Haddock, the Executive Director of the Tulsa Area Chapter of the Red Cross. “As a community, we all play an important role in helping keep those who are in and near the water safe.”
The American Red Cross encourages families to give their children water safety education and swim lessons to help keep them safer and reduce the risk of drowning.
Connie Harvey, the Director of Aquatics Centennial and Survival Programs for the Red Cross, explained, “Most drownings happen when the child isn’t even supposed to be near or in the water. So, preventing unsupervised access to water; providing constant, active adult supervision; and knowing how to swim are critical layers of protection to help prevent drowning.”
The Red Cross shared the following important water safety tips for families to keep in mind:
- Nobody should ever swim alone. This includes adults and teenagers, along with children.
- Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child.
- Designate an adult “water watcher” while children are swimming. The watcher will keep a close eye on children and weaker swimmers in or near the water until the next water watcher takes over.
- Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear properly fitted U.S. Coast Guard-approved lifejackets around water; however, it’s important not to rely on life jackets alone.
- Remember to reach or throw, don’t go! If there’s an emergency, reach or throw an object to the person in trouble and have them grab on. Jumping into the water yourself could put you in danger of drowning.
Harvey said, “We encourage families to educate themselves on safer water habits, to learn to swim and know how to handle emergencies. Our aquatic training center providers offer swim education and classes for both children and adults. We recommend that you also learn first aid and CPR, so you’ll know what to do until help arrives.”
For information about how parents or caregivers can teach their own children about water safety, click here.
To learn more about the Red Cross’ Aquatics Centennial Campaign, click here.
For more general water safety tips, click here.
