Reminders on water safety for the summer

Roanoke, Virginia – Many of us in our hometowns will be heading to local lakes, pools, and bodies of water as summer approaches. The goal of safety officials is to ensure your family’s safety while participating in those aquatic activities.

When it comes to water safety, Ottilia Lewis, the trauma outreach coordinator at Carilion Clinic, stresses that we can never be too cautious.

”Drowning does not happen like it does in the movies where someone is slashing and flailing and screaming for help. It’s quiet and it’s quick. So you want to make sure that you’re keeping an eye on your kids, keeping an eye on your loved ones, so that that silent occurrence does not happen,” said Lewis.

There are certain things we can do to keep our families safe around water to stop that.
Lewis advised against swimming alone.

“The weather conditions can change rapidly, the water conditions can change rapidly, and if you’re by yourself, there’s no one there to help you in that situation to call for appropriate help,” said Lewis.

It’s crucial for parents always to be aware of their children.

Keep an arm’s length distance from them and consider their swimwear color if you are in the water with them, she advised.

“A lot of the bathing suits we see on the market can be pretty, you know, blues and greens to kind of match that summer vibe. But when tested,, those colors specifically will kind of blend into the bottom of a pool or a body of water. So just like you might want to put your child in a brightly colored outfit if you’re going out in public, so you can easily spot them in a crowd. Looking at neon colors that aren’t going to blend into pool bottoms and bodies of water will help make your child visible in case there is an emergency,” said Lewis.

Even the most proficient swimmers ought to be aware of their limitations and wear life jackets.

“As a swimmer, your physical fitness, any medical conditions you might have, that could affect your ability to get out of a water-related emergency,” said Lewis.

For children between the ages of one and four, drowning is the most common cause of death, according to the CDC.