Drowning remains the leading cause of the death for children 1-4 years of age in Orange County and throughout California.
Drowning is also one of the top five leading causes of death among children under 17-years-old. This information is according to a study conducted by the Orange County Health Care Agency.
Around 64% of the drownings occurred in a pool or spa. The most tragic part of these statistics is that drowning is completely preventable.
That is why Premier Aquatic Services has teamed up with Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation to help spread awareness about the dangers of drowning.
Safer 3 is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to saving lives through drowning prevention and water safety education.
The non-profit strives to educate the public about the three elements common in every drowning: water, people, and response.
Safer 3 Foundation has developed a comprehensive curriculum to address each element of drowning:
- Safer Water: Participants learn to identify the risks depending upon the body of water and learn how to take preventive action to reduce those risks.
- Safer Kids: This part of the curriculum teaches children and their parents the proper boundaries and rules around water. This includes tips like having an adult constantly supervise a child while swimming.
- Safer Response: Classes outline emergency response techniques and stress the importance of learning CPR/AED and first aid techniques for parents.
Safer 3 also has developed a safety education curriculum for schools to teach children about water safety.
The company hosts annual events at swim schools across the country in the spring to promote drowning prevention.
To help spread awareness about the dangers of drowning, Premier along with the Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation and the Orange County Fire Authority will be hosting the first Orange County Drowning Prevention Task Force meeting.
Join us Thursday, March 19, for the inaugural Orange County Drowning Prevention Task Force meeting at the Aliso Viejo Aquatic Center at 5:30 p.m.
We will discuss how to eliminate the risks of drowning and teach attendees how they can keep their family safe around the water.
Last year was one of the worst years for drownings in Orange County. Let's all do our part to prevent drowning.