Paramedics responded to a frantic call on May 29 that two children were pulled from the pool by lifeguards shortly after 3 p.m. at the swimming pool in the 3500 block of Marlborough Way, said Capt. Chauncey Bowers, a spokesman for the county paramedics.
The paramedics quickly assessed the condition of both children and initiated life-saving medical care. Paramedics then transported the victims to an area hospital for additional treatment.
Nearly 1,100 children, ages 14 and under drown every year across the country.
Nearly four times as many require hospitalization after a near drowning. Drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury-related deaths in this age group and the leading cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 4.
The majority of drowning and near drowning incidents occur in residential swimming pools. Childhood drowning and near-drowning incidents can happen in a matter of seconds and typically occur when a child is left unattended or during a brief lapse in supervision.
The majority, or 92 percent, of children who survive are discovered within two minutes following submersion, and most children or 86 percent who die are found after 10 minutes. Nearly all that require cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) die or are left with severe brain injury.
The county offers the following advice to prevent children from drowning.
- Never leave a child unsupervised in or around water in the home.
- Never leave a child unsupervised in or around a swimming pool or spa, even for a moment.
- Never rely on a personal flotation device to protect a child.
- Give children swimming lessons.
- Use the buddy system when swimming.
- Keep horseplay and rough housing to a minimum. o Parents should learn CPR and keep rescue equipment, a telephone and emergency numbers at poolside.
- Call 911 immediately should an emergency occur.
- Homeowners should install four-sided isolation fencing, at least 5 feet high, equipped with self-closing and self-latching gates, that completely surrounds swimming pools or spas and prevents direct access from the house and yard.
- Always wear an U.S. Coast Guard-approved floatation device when on a boat, near open bodies of water or when participating in water sports. Air-filled swimming aids, such as "water wings," are not considered safety devices and are not substitutes for floatation devices.
- Never dive in water less than 9 feet deep.
- Never rely on lifeguards to be baby-sitters.
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