Not only has the pandemic increased the chances of your child drowning, but a lifeguard shortage has added to the problem. Summer is here and it is hot and humid in Houston. It’s important to be aware of these problems and to take positive corrective actions.
Here Are the Problems You’re Looking At
The Consumers Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that child drownings are increasing. The agency is warning that the pandemic has put kids at an increased risk this year.
Doctor Ben Hoffman, Chairman of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council says that, “It was really hard for people to access swimming lessons last year, and from what I understand it still remains challenging because things have booked up pretty early”.
Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 – 4. John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida reports that cases of child drownings continue to increase.
“Year-over-year we’ve almost doubled our drownings, unfortunately “, says Doctor Patrick Mularoni at the John Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
For children ages 5 and under, nearly 83% of child drownings occur at residential home swimming pools. That’s a frightening number!
As pools open up, it is important to sign your children up for swimming classes. Even if your child has had classes in their past, it never hurts for added protection to sign them up again.
One instructor on the north side of Houston that I know of is my wife. She has run a swim instruction school for nearly 15 years. If you’re looking for someone, give her a call. If for some reason she can’t help you, she can probably refer you… she knows most everyone in the business in the Houston area.
Another factor that has added to the problem of increasing child drowning risk, is that the Houston area is experiencing a major lifeguard shortage. Only 12 of the 37 public pools in Houston have opened due to this shortage.
Like nearly all businesses, new applicants for the available jobs are just not there. Adding to this problem was the pandemic which kept training classes closed over the last couple of years. The city is willing to pay a starting salary of $18.00/hour, but there are no qualified applicants. There is no short-term solution to this problem.
Fewer lifeguards result in fewer eyes on the water. Unfortunately, this leads to an increase in child drownings!
Take Steps to Reduce Your Child’s Drowning Risk
Giving your child swim lessons is one step. We’ve already briefly talked about this step. However, another step is to make sure that your home swimming pool is guarded with a secure pool safety fence.
Life Saver Of Houston can help you in this area. The owner, Wayne, has been selling and personally installing these really safe pool fence systems for nearly a decade. He nearly lost his infant son in a drowning accident. Now, he is trying to help others to avoid this same type of accident. Give him a call at (832) 367-2377. He will look over your home pool area and give you his best suggestions.