'Splash Into Safety' aims to cut drowning deaths

If May follows recent patterns, at least a couple of Utahns, probably children, will drown during the month. And the numbers will go up in June and July.

Drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional, injury-related death in Utah children 14 and under, second only to automobile crashes, according to state Department of Health data from 2000-02.

In those three years, 30 Utahns under 15 drowned on camping and boating trips, while swimming, some while taking a bath. Nine others, ages 15-19, drowned during that same time period. Most of the victims were male.

The Department of Health's Injury Prevention Program and the Utah SAFE Kids Coalition are kicking off a "Splash Into Safety!" program by hosting a variety of water safety events statewide — all designed to teach parents, caregivers and children how to be safe around water. Events range from water safety classes in Coalville, Orem and Richfield to "water games" and a dunk tank in St. George. The schedule is available online at www.health.utah.gov/vipp/.

It doesn't take very much water to drown, according to Cyndi Bemis, program spokeswoman.

Over the three-year period, exactly half of those who drowned were in open bodies of water. Six were bathtub drownings — two while a sibling was in the bathtub with a younger child. In nearly every bathtub-related drowning, a parent or caregiver had briefly left the room.

Two drowning tragedies have already occurred in Utah this year, Bemis said — one in a ditch and another in a neighbor's pool.

"Supervision is the key, especially with toddlers," Bemis said. "If anything can go wrong with toddlers, it will. They are so fast and so curious that you have to be hypervigilant. You can't assume the 5-year-old can baby-sit the 2-year-old in the tub."

While Utah law requires a personal flotation device for each individual in a boat, wearing it isn't mandatory.

"The key is it's no good if it's not on you," Bemis said. "In every one of the outdoor drowning events, no one was wearing a personal flotation device."

The PFD has to be the right size for the child, so parents should always check the height and weight. For younger kids, the strap between the legs is important so they don't slip out of the device.

Bemis tells families to take a walk around their neighborhoods and locate potential danger spots, like a neighbor's swimming pool. Then talk to the owners about keeping their gate locked and make sure your own gate is locked if a child might get out and wander to a nearby pool.

Those at greatest risk are children 5 and under. The second largest group, age-wise, for drowning are teens 15-19. For them, a sense of invulnerability may come into play, Bemis said.

"They jump into the water in their jeans and think they can swim quite far. They can't," she said. "Whether the water's too cold or too strong or they're just overestimating their abilities."

Parents tend to overestimate their children's abilities, as well, she said.

"We're urging parents to really focus on supervision this summer. A few more minutes right by a child is a small price to pay to avoid a lifetime of wishing you hadn't looked away."

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E-mail: lois@desnews.com

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