GENERAL WATER SAFETY INFORMATION
When a child drowning occurs, more than just the victim is impacted. For responders, drowning of a young child becomes more difficult with each lifeless child.
Responders are often parents themselves and see the faces of their own young children while administering resuscitation efforts to the drowning victim.
Upon arrival to the scene, responders often recognize there is no chance for survival, or if resuscitated, the child will have irreversible brain damage.
Responders are faced with the trauma of not only the drowning victim, but with the grieving parents witnessing their unresponsive child.
Responders are often parents themselves and see the faces of their own young children while administering resuscitation efforts to the drowning victim. Upon arrival to the scene, responders often recognize there is no chance for survival, or if resuscitated, the child will have irreversible brain damage. Responders are faced with the trauma of not only the drowning victim, but with the grieving parents witnessing their unresponsive child.
Key Points
Drowning is NOT accidental; Drowning is an unintentional injury or death.
Referring to a drowning as an accident implies that the incident could not have been prevented.
Drowning is Preventable.
Constant, vigilant adult supervision of young children is critical around any type of water in and outside of the home, and during water play.
Use of barriers, alarms, locks and 4-sided fencing is essential to prevent unsupervised access to pools and other water outside of the home.
Drowning is Predictable
The highest rate of drowning is among children ages 1 to 4.
Most drowning occurs in a residential pool.
At least one parent or family member is nearby when a child wanders away unnoticed.
Risk Factors for child drowning:
Absence of adult supervision
Lack of knowledge, disregard or misjudgment of the hazard
Easy access to water
An inability to respond properly in a drowning situation
Immediate bystander CPR can make the difference between life and death.
Delay of removing the child from the water and beginning bystander CPR with rescue breaths can negatively impact the outcome of a drowning. Irreversible brain damage occurs in as little as 4 minutes.
Children drown because they do not know how to swim.
The ability to swim is NOT a totally reliable protective measure; regardless of swimming competency children require close and constant supervision.
During social gatherings, children are well protected because of several adults supervising.
Social gatherings can increase the drowning risk for children, as assumptions are made that everyone is watching the children. A designated responsible adult Water Watcher is an imperative safety precaution.
Drowning is Preventable. Constant, vigilant adult supervision of young children is critical around any type of water in and outside of the home, and during water play. Use of barriers, alarms, locks and 4-sided fencing is essential to prevent unsupervised access to pools and other water outside of the home. Drowning is Predictable The highest rate of drowning is among children ages 1 to 4. Most drowning occurs in a residential pool. At least one parent or family member is nearby when a child wanders away unnoticed. Risk Factors for child drowning: Absence of adult supervision Lack of knowledge, disregard or misjudgment of the hazard Easy access to water An inability to respond properly in a drowning situation Immediate bystander CPR can make the difference between life and death. Children drown because they do not know how to swim. During social gatherings, children are well protected because of several adults supervising.
Standardized Terminology
Drowning (as defined by the World Health Organization, adopted by the 2002 World Congress on Drowning) is the process of experiencing respiratory impairment from submersion/immersion in liquid. Drowning outcomes are classified as death, morbidity and no morbidity.
Unintentional vs. accidental drowning;
Unintentional drowning is the correct term to use in a submersion incident, as it implies that the event occurred without intent of harm and could have been prevented if proper safety practices were in place.
Accidental drowning is a term that should not be used, as it promotes the idea that injuries cannot be prevented, when in fact, relatively simple strategies can prevent drowning. And, in some cases, neglect or abuse on the part of the parent, guardian, or care provider result in the drowning incident, and may warrant criminal investigation.
The terms wet, dry, active, passive, silent, secondary drowning should no longer be used as stated by the World Health Organization.
Unintentional drowning is the correct term to use in a submersion incident, as it implies that the event occurred without intent of harm and could have been prevented if proper safety practices were in place. Accidental drowning is a term that should not be used, as it promotes the idea that injuries cannot be prevented, when in fact, relatively simple strategies can prevent drowning. And, in some cases, neglect or abuse on the part of the parent, guardian, or care provider result in the drowning incident, and may warrant criminal investigation.
Near Drowning
Near drowning is an outdated term and should not be used to describe a “nonfatal” drowning.
Drowning Injuries and Fatalities can be split into two groups:
Recreational drowning – incidents that happen while using water for recreational purposes.
Non-recreational drowning – incidents that happen when a person never intended to be in the water at the time, or, incidents involving unsupervised children accessing water.
Drowning Outcomes, as defined by the World Congress on Drowning
No morbidity – no injury
Morbidity – injury
Mortality – death
Supervision needs to be close, constant, and capable. The adult needs to be responsible, sober and, ideally to be able to perform a basic rescue, initiate CPR and call for help.
Inappropriate supervision is the correct term to use when referring to a lapse or absence of adult supervision of a child. In some situations the decisions or behaviors of the adult supervisor place a child at significant risk for physical, emotional or psychological harm and warrants notification to the Child Abuse hotline and an investigation by BSO Child Protective Investigation Section.
Touch Supervision, an adult supervisor within arm’s length of any child who is a weak or non-swimmer. The attention of the supervising adult is constantly focused on the child, and the adult is not engaging in other distracting activities (on the phone, socializing, and reading). Touch supervision is also required if the child is prone to seizures or wandering tendencies.
Recreational drowning – incidents that happen while using water for recreational purposes. Non-recreational drowning – incidents that happen when a person never intended to be in the water at the time, or, incidents involving unsupervised children accessing water. No morbidity – no injury Morbidity – injury Mortality – death Inappropriate supervision is the correct term to use when referring to a lapse or absence of adult supervision of a child. In some situations the decisions or behaviors of the adult supervisor place a child at significant risk for physical, emotional or psychological harm and warrants notification to the Child Abuse hotline and an investigation by BSO Child Protective Investigation Section.