Accidents are a leading killer of children. The most frequent accident is drowning.
The Valley of the Sun is especially at risk because of our high number of pools / households. We hear of the tragedies too often. Just last week Chandler residents, Emilie and Brady Kaiser, a well known TikTok influencer, lost their son, Trigg, in a drowning accident. Our sympathy goes out the Kaiser family and all families who have faced this horrific loss.
Let’s reverse this statistic!
It’s up to each and every one of us!
Arizona Drowning Statistics
- 3,600 children every year in our country suffer from near-drowning injuries
- Almost 90% of child drowning happens in backyard pools, hot tubs and spas.
- 69% of children who drown were not expected to be in the pool that day.
- 47% of children who drown were last seen in the house 5 minutes before they drown.
- 31% of children who drown were last seen in the yard 5 minutes before they drown.
- 77% of children who drown are out of sight less than 5 minutes.
- 33% of children who drown in a pool, don’t drown at home.
- There are 6,400 spa injuries reported nationwide each year for children under 15.
2024 Drowning Statistics for Maricopa – Pinal Counties
- More people drowned in 2024 than in any of the last 5 years.
- 18 children under the age of 5 died
Knowing CPR and First Aid is a great plan for emergencies. These skills need to be practiced in order to be remembered.
CPR training should not be the only plan you and your family have to keep safe. The best way to prevent drowning and keep kids safe is a multi-step approach….
- Prevent slips and falls by picking up and wiping up.
- Never leave a child unattended around ANY water. There is no room for compromise on this one.
Babies can drown in as little as one inch of water.
- Assign a water watcher, especially at pool parties, community pools and hotel pools and make sure that person understands that they should be doing just that watching the water, not texting or anything else. Put the cell phone away! Forget about all the other things you have to do and give the children 100 percent of your attention when they are near water.
- Drowning does not look like it does on TV! There rarely is waving, splashing, yelling. Drowning is the impairment of breathing. So there’s no way to yell or be physically active.
- Have barriers, fences, gates, locks, water alarms. Multiple safety layers are the best option for your children.
- Keep large yard equipment, furniture and toys away from pool fences.
- Keep toilets closed, locked if possible, around small children.
- Teach kids how to swim. Learn how to swim yourself. Knowing how to swim reduces the risk of drowning by 88%.
- However, knowing how to swim does not prevent drowning. Even a swimmer can have an accident or circumstance that leads to drowning.
- Never swim alone. Use a buddy system to keep everyone safe.
- Empty all tubs, buckets, containers and wading pools immediately after use. Store them upside down and out of children’s reach.
- Parents and guardians have a million things to do, but learning CPR should be on the top of the list. It will give you tremendous peace of mind – and the more peace of mind you have, the better.
- Avoid alcohol when supervising children around water. Avoid alcohol when adults are participating in boating or other water activities.
Stats To Know and Share
- Children ages 1-4 have the highest drowning rates.
- In children younger than 5, most drowning fatalities happen in home pools or hot tubs.
- Nearly 80% of drowning deaths are male. There are many possible causes but one explanation is the likelihood of males participating in high risk behaviors.
- Black children ages 10-14 drown at higher rates, most often in public pools.
- Native American people have the highest drowning rates in natural water.
Resources for You to Learn More
Red Cross Recommendations for a Water Watcher
Health Safety Institute Drowning Prevention Tips
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