May is National Water Safety Month
With summer approaching and with May being National Water Safety Month, the Red Cross urges the community to keep water safety in mind.
According to Rod Cook, the Executive Director for the East Central Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross, drowning is the leading cause of accidental death of children between ages one to four. It could only take a few seconds for a child or a weak swimmer to drown, which makes being vigilant and water competent is very important.
“Just taking your eyes off for even a second. We see all the time where a parent just goes to the kitchen to get something or something like that, and boom. It happens. So always be vigilant.” Rod Cook, Executive Director for the East Central Ohio Chapter of the American Red Cross, said.
It’s a good idea to keep pools and hot tubs inside a locked fence to keep unsupervised children from getting in. Keeping a cover on pools and hot tubs is also a safety precaution to avoid dangerous incidents. It’s important for parents and guardians to learn about water safety and to know how to swim. In case of an emergency, it’ll be helpful to know how to do CPR.
“We see bad incidents happening all the time. It’s something that unfortunately we’ve become involved in. It just breaks my heart every time I hear a story about something bad happening to a child. Whether it’s a drowning or a fire or whatever it may be. This is something we take extremely seriously at the Red Cross.” Cook said.
For more information and other water safety tips, visit the Red Cross website below.
