Westside Story – Water Safety

Story and Photo by Joseph Boyle

If you take a quick look at my attached photo, I am confident you will agree that water can be very beautiful to behold. Conversely, water can become exceptionally ugly if you or a loved one drowns.

Warm weather is just around the corner. Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death for all ages.

In Washington State, we lose about 9 people a month to drowning.  When the weather warms up, we will begin to hear the news reports about drowning tragedies.  It never fails.

Prevention tips:

1. Be aware of the hazard.  Have fun with water, but do so intelligently.  Realize that a drowning can occur in pools, rivers, creeks, ponds, lakes, puddles, bathtubs, buckets, hot tubs, diaper pails and salt water.
2. Swimming lessons. Take lessons or stay away from water.
3. Supervise young children. Children can be missing for less than 5 minutes, which is a short period of time.  Five minutes is too long when you discover a child has drowned and is gone forever.
4. Alcohol & Water. It is not safe to mix the two.
5. Personal Flotation Device (PFD). – Wear one when appropriate.
6. Water Condition. – Be knowledgeable about the depth, temperature and strength of the current for any body of water.
7. Health condition – If you have a health condition that makes it dangerous for you to be in or around water, make the safe choice.
8. Boating.  – Be a safe, sober and legal boater.

85% of the drowning deaths are preventable.

I know the feeling, “A drowning would never happen in my family.”

I am personally aware of two children whose lives were lost in the water depicted in my beautiful water scene photo.  Their families did not think this tragedy would happen to them either.

Do not let a drowning tragedy happen to you or someone you love.  Please be safe!