Pool Safety This Summer


"Any toddler can just run off for a second and you don't see them for a second and it's scary so you really have to keep an eye on kids," says a San Angelo mom.

Summer is here and it's a good idea to take precautionary measures when it comes to pool safety.

Most drowning accidents happen in the backyard pool and after only being left alone five minutes. Studies show that accidents like this happen because of lack of supervision.

Recreation Coordinator, Tina Nikkila, says when it comes to pool safety and little ones it's not enough to just glance up every so often.

"It's just active scanning. You have to make sure you are constantly moving your head and your eyes."

If a parent notices their child has drowned. The first thing they need to do is call 9-11. The second thing they need to do is check to see if their child is responsive, if their child is not responsive they need to check for a pulse. If the child doesn't have a pulse they you need to do CPR. You would place one hand in the center of their chest and start pressing approximately and inch and a half and do this a hundred times a minute until you are exhausted or EMT has arrived.

Assistant Chief of Operations of the San Angelo Fire Department, Scott Farris, says it only takes one breath of water for a child to possibly drown.

"It's accidental. You hear them coughing and stuff at the pool . They have taken in water. If that goes one step further. It could be to where they go unconscious then they slip under the water. So if your eyes are not on your kids or you don't have a life guard watching out. It could be fatal."

SAPD says in the last year there have been at least three drowning incidents in children 17 and under, two of which happened in July. Chief Farris says summer months are prime time for situations like these and parents need to be extra cautious.

Kaitlin Moore Reports.

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