Backyard Pool Safety and Drowning Prevention
Children love to play in water. Yet, children and bodies of water can be a dangerous combination. Nationally, drowning is the second cause of unintentional injury-related death among children ages 1 to 14.
Drowning can happen wherever there is water. And, in Florida, water is everywhere – canals, lakes, oceans, backyard pools, and even bathtubs. The most common place where drownings occur is in backyard pools. Sadly, these events often happen when adults are nearby – distracted by their devices or other people.
Our Community Partners
In an effort to prevent drowning, Nicklaus Children's Hospital, the YMCA of South Florida, Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation, NBC 6 and Telemundo are collaborating to promote water safety.
Be a Water Watcher
The most important action one can take to protect children is to ensure they are attentively supervised when in or near water. That means an adult is constantly watching the child or children without distraction from tablets, smartphones, book, or other adults or children. Remember, drowning is a silent event and can occur within a matter of seconds.
Our Water Watcher card can be handed from adult to adult, to serve as a physical reminder as to who is the designated watcher. To request your Water Watcher card, click below.
Use Alarms During Swim Time
No matter how careful you are, it only takes a moment to lose sight of your kids. That's why one should ensure alarms and barriers are the next layer of safety to protect children. Install active alarms on doors leading to the outside so kids can't slip out without your knowledge.
Ensure you also have barriers around your pool or property if you live near water. That means property fences, pool fences, and even pool alarms that alert you to moving water when no one should be in the pool.
Drowning Prevention Tips
- Actively supervise children every time they are in or around water. Don't leave or look away, even for a moment.
- Use barriers (fences, pool covers, pool alarms) to keep kids away from water when you're not around. After use, empty buckets, tubs, and wading pools.
- Teach children never to go near a pool drain and to pin up long hair when in water.
- Everyone should know the water safety rules. No swimming alone!
- Make sure children take swimming lessons. But even those who have taken swim lessons should be supervised while in or around the water. Accidents can and do happen.
- Learn CPR and keep rescue equipment (like a life-saving ring), a telephone, and emergency phone numbers poolside.
Learn more about drowning prevention and visit RedCross.org for additional CPR Training.
Swimming Lessons in Your Community
Both the YMCA of South Florida and Miami-Dade County Parks and Recreation offer swimming instruction at a wide range of locations. For YMCA locations visit below.
Locate YMCA of South Florida Swimming Lessons
For locations in Miami-Dade County Parks, please click below.
