Preventing drowning tragedies

GEORGE NEWS - Stay safe around water this festive season by following these practical drowning prevention strategies:

Learn life-saving skills, including the basics of swimming and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
Know who to call in an emergency.
Fence ponds, pools and water storage: Install a four-sided isolation fence at least 1.2m high with a self-closing and self-latching gate to control access to bodies of water.
Be on the lookout. Drownings happen quickly and quietly. Never leave children to supervise each other. A responsible adult must always watch out for children near a pool, Jacuzzi, or natural body of water.
Stay within arm’s length of children under four around water.
Don’t drink or be distracted by work, phone calls, technology, or anything else that may absorb your attention when watching children.
Fit a pool net immediately after swimming and replace it every time.
Don’t rely on armbands, floating toys, inner tubes, or devices to keep children safe.
Teach children to swim, but never leave them unsupervised around water.
Consider installing alarms. Various water alarms, such as a floating pool alarm or external security beams, can be installed to add to the precautions of fencing and supervision.
Beware of drains. Children must be kept away from pool or Jacuzzi drains as hair or limbs could become trapped in the suction.
Toilets, bathtubs, water features, fish tanks, pet water bowls and buckets. Children can drown wherever there is access to water, and a baby can drown in just 2.5cm of water.