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Culturally Speaking: The South Florida Sunday Podcast
Swimming & Water Safety with the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County
00:09:40
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- [00:00]
A
All right, so living in South Florida, with our beautiful weather, there are no shortage of opportunities to get outside, be around water, whether that is by a pool in your backyard or you live near a lake or pond or beach. It is pretty much a year round thing for us. But with summer coming up especially, we want to make sure that we're taking the right steps to make sure our families are protected, especially around water. So joining me right now is Anna Stewart from the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm Beach County. Thank you so much for joining the show today.
- [00:30]
B
Oh, thanks so much for having me.
- [00:31]
A
Of course. So I just went on your website and you have so many resources for drowning prevention. Can you tell us about the coalition and what you do?
- [00:40]
B
Absolutely. The Drowning Prevention Coalition. We are actually a county government entity whose mission is to prevent drowning, non fatal drowning and other water related incidents in Palm beach county by educating residents on water safety and basic rescue techniques. And we are actually funded by the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners and the Children's Services Council of Palm Beach County. We provide free land based water safety presentations to pretty much anybody who's willing to listen to us talk for all ages. And we have a free reduced cost swim program for children ages 2 through 17. And we're asking people to please visit our website at www.pbc.govdpc for more information. And of course, we also hand out water safety at health and safety fairs.
- [01:35]
A
Yeah, actually you have so much on information on your website. I went through it just before the interview and I even saw like there was tips on how to get out of a car safely if your car just happens to go into the water.
- [01:45]
B
Yes, that is one of our specialty programs is how to escape a sinking vehicle that goes into a body of water. And this is a big fear that a lot of people have. So if anybody who's listening wants us to come to like their HOA or business or anything of that nature, just please go to that website and request a presentation. And we're more than happy to come for free.
- [02:05]
A
I love that. And of course, like you were saying before, you have all these free programs, swimming lessons, if they qualify for that, and you have a whole list of places that actually offer by county offer swimming lessons as well. So that is amazing. Why should people in Palm beach county especially be concerned about water safety?
- [02:23]
B
I mean, we're surrounded by water. Yeah. Lakes, ponds, canals, pools, the ocean. And this is just outside. Right. I mean, inside our home we have bathtubs, buckets, toilets, sinks, fish tanks, washing machines. And regardless of a Person's age, race, gender, you know, socioeconomic background, and swimming capability, a drowning can occur. So we want to be water safe and water smart year round.
- [02:51]
A
And what is the number one reason why drowning incidents occur?
- [02:55]
B
Believe it or not, it's actually open bodies of water, like lakes, ponds, and canals, followed by swimming pools. Most people think it's swimming pools, but it's actually not. It's lakes, ponds, and canals and open bodies of water.
- [03:09]
A
Okay, so we have some insight on where these drownings are likely to occur, but why are they happening? What's the most common reason for children
- [03:18]
B
is a lapse in adult supervision. And for adults, it's they're swimming by themselves and no one is there to help in case of an emergency. And that's why we always talk about swimming with a buddy and never swimming alone and always keeping our eyes on the children.
- [03:35]
A
Right, Right. And you know what? I hear a lot of those stories with the children drowning when there are a lot of people around, like a birthday party, because people think that, oh, I thought you were watching them, or I thought this person was watching them. But no, like, someone needs to be designated. Right?
- [03:49]
B
Absolutely. I almost drowned chicken fighting, believe it or not, when I was 8 years old. And it really drives me bananas when people say, you know, my child is drown proofed because they know how to swim. No, there's no such thing as drown proofing. Even if you know how to swim. Right. You can still drown. So to lessen the likelihood of a drowning, adults and children should learn to swim. Right, so they can save themselves if they ever fall into a body of water. And for children, you know, supervision, supervision, supervision, texting, looking down at your phone for 10 to 15 seconds is not actively watching a child if they are in or around water. So eyes really must be kept on them at all times, preferably within arm's reach. And, you know, we know that supervision fails, so we want to make sure that we utilize layers of protection inside and outside the home to prevent children from gaining access to water. Adults need to make sure that they never swim alone. Obviously, if somebody gets into trouble, you want to call 91 1. And now that summer is upon us, I know a lot of people are going to be having parties and so forth. So we want to make sure we designate a water watcher who's sober, whose sole responsibility is to watch that body of water to 10 to 15 minutes without distract. And then after that 10 to 15 minutes is up, then you know, give like a lanyard or hat or designated type of device you know, identifying that person as a water watcher, give it to them and for 10 to 15 minutes and, you know, so on and so on. And obviously if everybody is ready to go eat, everybody needs to get out of the pool.
- [05:24]
A
Right.
- [05:24]
B
Or that body of water.
- [05:26]
A
I think we all have these stories, unfortunately, of knowing of someone who has almost drowned or has drowned. Like me. I was maybe 8 years old when I went to a party for a birthday boy and the birthday boy ended up drowning because his mom thought someone else was watching him.
- [05:41]
B
And we were at a water park during. On his birthday.
- [05:45]
A
On his birthday.
- [05:47]
B
Oh my God, that's horrible.
- [05:49]
A
Horrible.
- [05:49]
B
Yeah. It can happen so quick.
- [05:51]
A
And it was so bad because I had to be the one at 8 years old to tell his mom, like, hey, you know, he went into the little beach part of the thing and he never came up.
- [05:58]
B
Like, you know, that's, it's very traumatizing, very traumatized.
- [06:02]
A
Absolutely. So I am all about water safety from obviously that day on. And, and like you said, people think that their children are waterproof because they're a good swimmer, but it's not really okay to ever leave your child alone by a pool or body water or even like a, like a kid because, you know, sometimes you're like, oh well, the older brother will look after them or something like that. It's never good.
- [06:22]
B
No, it's never good. And a 12 year old should not be having the responsibility, honestly, to watch a child if they're in or around water because they themselves are a child. Right. So, you know, I always get asked all the time, you know, what age should people start swimming lessons? Most public aquatic facilities here in Palm beach county start parent and taught classes, which is water acclimation at 6 months of age with the parent in the water. And it's usually at age 3 when group lessons begin without that adult in the water. And obviously private swim schools, they can start earlier than six months. But honestly, it's really up to the caregiver to decide what is best for their child. And if you live in a place with a pool or a place or surrounded by water, it might be a good idea to think about lessons earlier rather than later. You know, county facilities charge $60 for eight lessons, eight half hour lessons, which is really reasonable if you think about it. And I of course can help people that are listening find affordable places in their area.
- [07:26]
A
Absolutely. Yeah. You have a whole list on your website by county of the different just areas that, you know, offer these swim lessons and everything like that. And it's it's just so important. $60 that is. You're saving a life here. You're absolutely protecting your child.
- [07:41]
B
So, yeah, you know, and if people want more information, they can always contact me. My direct phone number is actually 561-616-7068. Or you can email me at asteewart a s t e w a r tbc.gov or you can visit our website, as I mentioned earlier, at www.pbc.gov dpc.
- [08:04]
A
And let's talk about swimsuits as well, because the color of a swimsuit can definitely affect your visibility in the water.
- [08:09]
B
You bring up a very good point. We always recommend that children wear bright swimming bathing suits, like yellow, bright pink. You know, you don't really want to wear blue or green because that can kind of match the water color. So make sure you put your children in bright color swimsuits that are easily noticeable.
- [08:32]
A
Absolutely. Anna, thank you so much for all the water safety tips. And like I said, I love how the Drowning Prevention Coalition of Palm beach county, they not only give out great tips, but you have access to the locations that provide swimming lessons. You're even able to help families who qualify pay for those lessons as well. How can we find out more about drowning prevention?
- [08:53]
B
The best thing to do, honestly is to either give me a call or go to our website that I mentioned previously, www.pbc.gov dpc. There's a plethora of information on that site, water safety tips, as well as aquatic facilities throughout the county that offer swimming lessons. The reality is your county and city facilities are going to be less expensive than the Y's and the JCCs and private swim schools. Because I get that question all the time that swim lessons are so expensive and they don't have to be right. And that's why we try to guide people in the in the right direction. So please give us a call, have us come to your community and do a free water safety presentation. We make them fun and interactive for everybody.