“I never thought it could happen to us!”

Michele Long, Fire & Life Safety Ed. Specialist, Water Safety Prog. Coordinator

I can’t tell you the number of times I have heard those words from families when it comes to the tragedy of a childhood drowning.  For all of us sitting on the side lines it’s easy to place blame.  We want to scream, “What was more important than watching your kids?”

There is a pit in my stomach every time I hear the drowning tone go out on the fire radio or when I hear of another incident in the news.  It is the same with all situations…hearing the wail of a mother for her lifeless child or seeing the pain on the faces of the first responders as they try to make sense of a situation they want so desperately to fix and can’t. 

As a fire and life safety educator, I teach that drowning is preventable.  I can tell you to supervise your children around water.  I can tell you that barriers/fences work as a second line of defense in those times you lose track of a child, so keep them working properly.  I can teach you CPR and encourage you to enroll your family in swim lessons.  I’ve done that for years!  What I can’t seem to get across is that a drowning can happen to anyone at any time.  We have to stop jumping to the conclusion that a drowning only happens because of bad parenting.  It happens to good, safety conscious families too.  How else would Arizona rank second in the nation for childhood drownings?

I don’t know of one parent including myself that has not lost track of a toddler for a few moments.  They are fast, they are curious, and they are smart.  What they could not do one day…like open drawers, doors, and climb, they quickly have learned the next day.   All of the activities, stressors, and busy lifestyles that keep us multitasking throughout the day and draw our attention away from a child make us a target for childhood drownings.  Maybe only for a second or two, but children don’t wait for our schedules. 

Sometimes we make ourselves targets for a drowning.  When we choose to have a beautiful yard and pool and not put up a fence because it will block the view then we make ourselves a target.  Hosting a family gathering with many adults in attendance, but not taking the time to designate a water watcher makes us a target for a drowning.  When we forget to empty the bathtub after a bath, buckets that were used for cleaning or a play pool immediately after their use we make ourselves a target.  Not having small children in the home can make us a target for childhood drownings too.  As grandparents and parents of older children we often forget how active young children can be and the amount of energy it takes to watch them when they are visiting.  So before we have another tragedy, look at your situation and seriously ask yourself, “Am I a target for a drowning?”  The answer for all of us is …YES!