Drowning Prevention:
Swimming Lessons Are Not Enough

A new national survey from Safe Kids Canada shows 86% of Canadian parents believe swimming lessons are the best way to protect a child from drowning. However, this is not enough. Safe Kids Canada recommends parents use five 'layers of protection' to keep kids safe from drowning this summer, beyond swimming lessons alone.

And while the five layers - actively supervising children, training adults in CPR, First Aid and water rescue, four-sided fencing around home pools, using life jackets and teaching kids to swim - are important individually, they are not exclusive of each other. All five layers should be used together to keep kids safe from drowning. These recommendations are based on the most current international research as compiled and reviewed by Safe Kids Canada and their expert advisors, and unveiled today as part of the kickoff of Safe Kids Week.

"It is not enough to simply teach your child to swim," said Allyson Hewitt, executive director of Safe Kids Canada, the national injury prevention program of The Hospital for Sick Children. "Although this is an important layer, parents play a vital role in drowning prevention. Research shows active parental supervision combined with physical barriers like four-sided pool fencing are some of the essential layers to keep kids safe."

Drowning is the second leading cause of injury-related death for Canadian children under the age of 14. An estimated 58 kids drown every year - the equivalent of at least two elementary school classrooms. Another 140 are hospitalized as a result of a near-drowning incidents. These drowning deaths and injuries are predictable and preventable.

Child’s Life spoke with Lauren Francis owner of Super Fin Aquatics, a local swim school that specializes in individual swim programs and CPR training. Lauren stressed “Prevention, prevention, prevention. The best way to ensure your family’s safety is to prevent injuries and emergencies before they happen. Get trained and take an infant or child CPR course. Gain the confidence and skills needed to prevent injuries and respond in an emergency situation.”

“By enrolling your children in swimming lessons you are taking steps to ensure they will become confident and safe around the water, but lessons cannot replace the need for safety. Backyard pools should be fenced in with a self-closing gate at least 1.2 meters high and diligent adult supervision in the pool area is a must to keep children safe.” Lauren explained.

Five Layers of Protection for Drowning Prevention

1. Actively Supervise

Active adult supervision should be the number one priority for parents. Drowning occurs most commonly in swimming pools, often during a lapse of adult supervision; 42 per cent of all children ages five to 14 who drowned in the past ten years did not have an adult watching them at the time.

According to Safe Kids Canada's recent survey, one-third of parents say that their child is safe to be around water without parental supervision by the age of 12 if they have had swimming lessons. But research shows older children are still at risk of drowning, as they may overestimate their skills, physical strength or the depth of the water.

What's more, 34 per cent of Canadian parents believe that if a child were drowning nearby, they would hear splashing, crying and screaming. This is simply not true. Drowning happens quickly and silently, often the child just slips under the water. Their lungs fill with water, making it impossible to make any sound.

Bottom line: Parents and caregivers need to stay within sight and reach, when children are in, on or around water.

2. Get Trained

While active adult supervision is the top priority when it comes to water safety, it can't end there. Parents must be trained and prepared to deal with an emergency. This means knowing how to call for help, swim and perform First Aid and CPR.

Survey results indicate that Canadian parents aren't trained or prepared to deal with these situations:

41 per cent of Canadian parents polled rank their swimming skills as fair, weak or non-swimmer
40 per cent of parents do not know CPR
Only 23 per cent are trained in water rescue
In the minutes it takes for emergency personnel to arrive, these skills are critical in saving a child's life and preventing long-term injury.

Bottom line: Adults need proper training before supervising children in, on or around water.

3. Create Barriers

Nearly one in five Canadian parents (19 per cent) believe that if their child has taken swimming lessons, fences and gates around home pools are not needed. Studies have shown that using a four-foot high (1.2 m), four-sided pool fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate could prevent 7 out of 10 drownings in children under the age of five.

While many Canadian pools have three-sided perimeter fencing, four-sided fencing means the pool is completely fenced off from the house. Since three-sided fencing uses the house as the fourth side to enclose a pool, it enables children to easily access the pool from the house. A four-sided fence provides a proven layer of protection.

Safe Kids Canada is urging Canadians to change municipal by-laws requiring a four-foot high (1.2 m), four-sided fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate around all in-ground, above-ground and inflatable home swimming pools.

Bottom line: A four-foot high (1.2 m), four-sided pool fence with a self-closing, self-latching gate saves young lives.

4. Use Life jackets

Life jackets are designed to keep you afloat in water, but they only work if you wear them. Nearly one-tenth of parents believe that children can be left alone while swimming if they are wearing a floatation device such as a life jacket, arm floats or an inner tube. Only life jackets and Personal Floatation Devices (PFDs) are designed for safety but a child should not be left alone to swim when wearing them. Arm floats, inner tubes and other inflatable toys should never be used to prevent your child from drowning.

Bottom line: Stay within sight and reach of your child and put young children and weak swimmers in life jackets when in, on or around water.

5. Teach Kids To Swim

Evidence shows that swimming ability alone cannot prevent downing. While parent and tot swimming classes are designed to educate adults in water safety, toddlers are still too young to grasp these concepts. Safe Kids Canada recommends that by age five, children are ready to be enrolled in swimming lessons. This is a developmental milestone for children. At this age children have the mental capacity to understand the concepts taught in swimming lessons, as well as the increased muscle development and coordination.

Bottom line: Don't rely on swimming lessons alone to keep your kids safe.

Splash into Safety Brochure: Safe Kids Canada and Johnson & Johnson are offering a free Splash into Safety educational brochure for parents and caregivers. Download a copy at www.safekidscanada.ca

SuperFin Aquatics Inc. is a private swim school and safety training company located in York Region. Their goal is to promote a healthy respect for the water in people of all abilities through swim lessons, fitness and safety training. For more information regarding swimming lessons and safety training please visit their website at www.superfinaquatics.com