May is Water Safety Month and the Door County YMCA is sharing some tips to help keep families safe while making a splash this summer. As the YMCA launches their Phones Down, Eyes Up campaign, Door County YMCA Aquatic Director Heidi Honold says individuals can become a Water Watcher to ensure attentive supervision around the pool.
“Children ages one to four-years-old die from drowning more than any other cause of death and drowning is the second cause of unintentional injury and death for children ages 5 to 14,” said Honold, “water safety is very important especially when we live around so much water.”
As part of their safety initiative, Honold advises against using water toys to protect weak swimmers. Instead, Coast Guard approved life jackets or Puddle Jumpers can be used while in the water. She says children should also ask permission from an adult before going in or near the water, and when they are swimming, they should avoid playing near pool drains which can trap them under water. While splashing around, pool games can be fun, but Honold says certain ones should be avoided.
“Don’t let kids play breath holding games,” she said, “it may be fun, but it can be really dangerous and easily lead to Hypoxic Blackout, which means sudden loss of consciousness and can lead to fatal drowning.”
Swimmers should also refrain from wearing street clothes while in the pool or lake because it can weigh them down, but instead, should consider brightly colored swimsuits that increase their visibility in water.
For more information on the Phones Down, Eyes Up campaign, visit www.phonesdowneyesup.org. You can listen to the full Y Wednesday interview with Heidi here.
