Drowning prevention week reminds parents to be wary

No matter one’s swimming ability, everyone is at risk of drowning.

That’s the message being delivered as part of National Drowning Prevention Week, which starts this Saturday.

It’s especially important for Quebecers to listen up –of all the children aged one to four who drown in Canada every year – 50 per cent are in this province, according to the Montreal Children’s Hospital.

As the safety campaign gears up, the MCH’s Trauma Centre held a water safety demonstration on Tuesday.

The anti-drowning campaign comes on the heels of three recent incidents involving Montreal area children under the age of five.

Two children were hospitalized, the third died.

Be wary: Kids are curious, impulsive

MCH Trauma Director, Debbie Friedman, reminds parents that toddlers and pre-schoolers are very curious and impulsive and unable to recognize potential danger.

She says it is easy for a young child to drown in as little as five centimeters of water.

A 2006 Safekids Canada report found nearly 50 per cent of drowning deaths occur in swimming pools, many in private homes with un-fenced or inadequately fenced pools.

Friedman strongly supports the Quebec government’s Residential Swimming Pool Safety Act. This Act includes mandatory fencing around pools installed after July 22, 2010.

“This is a great step in the right direction, however, I encourage municipalities to go further and adopt and enforce by-laws that would require homeowners to ensure that all backyard pools – not only new ones – are surrounded by four-sided fencing that is a minimum of four feet in height, that has no gaps between the fence and the ground and has gates that lock automatically,” she said. “There must be no direct access to the pool from the house, balcony or patio.”

Important recommendations for parents:

“¢ Supervision is key. Parents must keep their eyes on their kids at all times and they should never be more than an arm’s length away.

“¢ Children under five years of age should wear properly fitted personal floatation devices. This also applies to older children who do not know how to swim.

“¢ It is strongly recommended that all children take swimming lessons preferably at an early age.

“¢ Always remember to empty the water from kiddie pools when not in use.

“¢ Never leave young children unattended near hot tubs

“¢ Parents should consider taking a lifesaving course.

For more information on trauma and injury prevention check out the MCH Trauma website: www.the children.com/trauma.