CPSC Asks Parents to Make Water Safety a Priority as Kids Return to Summer Swimming Activities

water safety Summer swimming activities U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission CPSC child drowning leading cause of death among children accidents in the pool water safety protocol CPR Training CPR Classes swimming lessons community pool Fire Department Assistant Chief Eugenio Cardenas lifeguards Mayor Jimmy Davis New Jersey las vegas Lincoln Community School

By Lili Scott , Parent Herald Jun 11, 11:55 am

Photo: (Photo : RAMON VAN FLYMEN/ANP/AFP via Getty Images)

Summer swimming activities are back on! Following two years of staying away from crowded beaches or pools, the kids are ready and raring to enjoy the water. However, along with this, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reminds parents to make water safety a priority to avoid accidents or deaths.

Child drowning is still the leading cause of death among children below 15 years old. Before the pandemic, fatal drownings involving kids averaged 389 a year. Most accidents happen in pools when these can be avoided if only families have a solid water safety protocol.

Some of these protocols include never leaving the children unattended in the water. According to the CPSC, families must always have an adult water watcher who doesn't have undivided attention. They should not be reading or looking at their phones if they are tasked to watch over the kids.

Families with a pool or a spa in their backyards should have self-latching safety barriers and door alarms installed. The drains must also have covers that ascribe to the safety standards of the federal government.

Parents should also consider taking their children to swimming lessons and CPR training. Many venues offer these skills, including online CPR classes.

Two Teen Brothers Drown in Community Pool

The reminders come as two teenage brothers drowned in a community pool in New Jersey. According to NBC News, the brothers, who were not named, went swimming around 8:30 p.m. at the Lincoln Community School.

There were three lifeguards on duty when the accident happened. Life-saving measures were applied when the brothers were removed from the water, but the Bayonne Medical Center could no longer do anything when they were brought to the hospital.

The authorities were still conducting investigations. One of the brothers was a recent high school graduate, while the other brother was in his junior year. Mayor Jimmy Davis extended his sympathies to the families.

Meanwhile, two kids under six also died in a community pool in Las Vegas. According to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police, the boy was found unresponsive, while the girl was initially in critical condition until her death. The police had to reiterate to the parents that child drowning is a preventable incident.

Parents Must Be Proactive

Fire Department Assistant Chief Eugenio Cardenas said via KRGV that parents should be proactive and not rely solely on lifeguards if they value water safety. The chief said that it's still the responsibility of the parents to keep an eye on their children in the pool, especially when drownings "can happen in the flash of a second."

Parents must also bring their children to the doctor if they have experienced near-drowning. They need to be monitored because these incidents may lead to complications.