The DuPage County Health Department (DCHD) will commence its inaugural Pool Safely Day on July 15.
Pool Safety Day
The department is partnering with more than 30 Illinois agencies and organizations in an effort to raise public awareness around water safety to prevent child drowning.
“As families enjoy beaches, pools, lakes, and other bodies of water, we urge parents and caregivers to be particularly vigilant and Pool Safely to keep children safe and avoid any potential tragedies this summer,” said Karen Ayala, Executive Director of DuPage County Health Department in a press release.
Raising Awareness To A Serious Matter
According to DCHD drowning continues to be a leading cause of unintentional death for children.
“18 Illinois children, ages 1 to 16, have fatally drowned since June of 2020. It is of note that 16 of the 18 Illinois children who drowned were boys. Children (ages 6 to 11) and adolescents (ages 12 to 17) are more likely to drown in open water, such as retention ponds, rivers, inland lakes, and Lake Michigan,” said the press release.
Safety Tips
Some simple tips DCHD offered were parents teaching their kids how to swim, never leaving a chid unattended in or near water, and ensuring older kids and teens wear a life jacket and stay away from powerful currents in lakes and rivers.
“The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that across the nation, between 2016 and 2018, 75 percent of reported fatal drownings involved children under age five, and the majority of these drownings occurred in residential pools,” said a press release.
Health officials say as an added precaution, parents should assign a Water Watcher to keep an eye on kids who are swimming, teach children to steer clear of pool drains and pipes, and use a fence, pool motion sensor and door alarms around pools.
DCHD will be sharing water safety tips and messaging on their social media on July 15. For more pool safety tips and information you can visit their website.
Naperville News 17’s Christian Canizal reports.
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