Children are naturally drawn to water. In Florida, drowning is the leading cause of death for children under four. According to the Broward County Medical Examiner, who performs autopsies on all the little victims, more children in our area drown in backyard pools than in the ocean or anywhere else. Most, but not all, are boys under ten years old. Those statistics held true in 2005 when eight children needlessly lost their lives. Adults drown too, but the vast majority of those fatalities are alcohol-related.
As part of our “Kids Come First” initiative, the Broward Sheriff's Office is redoubling efforts to prevent these entirely preventable tragedies this summer. We are encouraging parents to enroll their children in swimming lessons and to be safety-conscious any time they're around water. When the drowning victim is a child, the deadly scenario is always the same. A toddler, loved and well cared for, is playing in the house or the yard. After a minute or two, his parent or some other adult notices that he's missing. A minute or two later, they find him facedown in the pool or the lake. If the child was submerged for just three or four minutes, and someone on the scene knows CPR, there is a slim chance that his life can be saved. If he does survive, he will be permanently brain-damaged. Every child in Broward County must be taught to swim at the earliest possible age. Every parent with a swimming pool needs to install a pool fence that is kept closed unless the parent is in the pool. Screens need to be in good repair and screen doors need to close automatically. Doors leading to the pool or the lake need to remain closed and locked. Remember, in the time it takes to answer the doorbell a child can exit the house and drown. When tiny infants drown it almost always happens in the bathtub after a ringing telephone or a screaming sibling distracts the parent. If you must leave the tub, wrap the baby in a towel and take him or her with you. An infant, happily splashing in the tub, can quickly slide down and drown in a few inches of water. Children over 10 are most at risk when they start fooling around and exceed their limitations. A boy who knows that he's incapable of swimming across a lake will be tempted to try it if all his buddies go first.
Boaters of all ages need to have life jackets handy, even if they're good swimmers. It's a simple precaution in case your canoe flips or your dinghy springs a leak. Children riding in boats should always wear their personal flotation devices. If your boat capsizes you won't have time to pass out life preservers to your young passengers. Simple life jackets are available at stores everywhere for just a few dollars. Why would any parent not buy one and have their child wear it when they're boating? And, by the way, whether you are cruising the Atlantic in a sailboat or skimming the Everglades in an airboat, tell someone about your “float plan” so they can call the Broward Sheriff's Office or Coast Guard if you fail to return home on time.