14 March 17 - April 6, 2012
City of Chandler Insider
Record drowning rate raises red flag
Last year Chandler suffered the most near drownings in
the City’s history, with one drowning and 17 near drown- ings. In Maricopa County, 179 people were transported to a hospital because of a water-related incident in 2011, compared with 140 in 2010, according to the Children’s Safety Zone, an organization that tracks drowning statis- tics in Arizona. As for deaths, 49 drownings occurred in 2011, up from 48 the previous year. “It seems to always go back to supervision,” says
Battalion Chief Brad Miller, a public information officer with the Chandler Fire Department. “A parent or caregiver says ‘I’m just going to leave for a minute and go do this’ and they leave the child unattended. Last year, we had two kids on the step of an apartment pool and the person watching them just ran to their apartment real quick. Well, both kids went in. We have to stress constant super- vision. There’s absolutely no substitute for that.” According to the Arizona Department of Health Services,
drowning is the leading cause of death in Arizona among children ages 1 to 4. To combat this tragic statistic, the Fire Department is asking residents to help them distribute water safety and drowning prevention information door-to- door. Called Eye to Eye to Supervise, the campaign began last year and blanketed every home in the City. This year’s effort is focusing on areas south of Germann Road, which Miller says had the majority of near drownings last year. “We give people designated areas and all the door hang-
ers. They put them on the door and hopefully that triggers somebody to review their home situation and make sure it’s safe,” says Miler. “We’re set up for groups or individuals, whoever wants to help. Even if two people want to come
out for a couple hours, they can do 200 homes in two hours easily.” The door hanger asks adults to
take personal responsibility for securing pools or other bodies of water at their home, supervise chil- dren in their care and teach them how to swim at the appropriate age. Learning how to perform car- diopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is also an important step adults can take to better prepare themselves for any medical emergency. Teaching children to swim can reduce risk dramatically. A
IT’S A WRAP: With a record 17 near drownings and one fatality in 2011, the Chandler Fire Department is doing all it can to raise water safety awareness as the 2012 pool season kicks off. Submitted photo
However, even when children have had formal swim-
2009 study published in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine found that participation in formal swimming lessons could reduce the risk of drowning by 88% among children ages 1 to 4. Chandler’s
Aquatics
Division offers swim lessons throughout the year at its pools and aquatic centers, including lessons for children as young as 6 months. For infants, parents accompany the child in the water and learn techniques to help teach their child water acquaintance safety skills, such as floating on their back, grabbing the wall and holding their breath.
ming lessons, constant, careful supervision when children are in the water, and barriers, such as pool fencing to pre- vent unsupervised access, remain necessary. But the need for supervision isn’t only for the young.
City of Chandler Fire Department Battalion Chief Brad Miller “We’re pushing supervision for the elderly also, especially if they have a medical condition,“ says Miller. “If you have a med- ical condition, don’t go swimming without someone knowing what you’re doing, because if you were to have a seizure or heart problem in the pool, it causes a whole other problem. We had those last year as well. Someone had a heart condition and sank to the bottom of a pool and nobody knew.” To volunteer for the Eye to Eye Supervise door hanger campaign, call 480- 782-2122.
Information provided by the City of Chandler Communication and Public Affairs Department.
See Insider, Page 15
www.SanTanSun.com
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