Every Sunday, we will share a story of a non-fatal drowning, discuss where things went wrong, and give some pointers on how to prevent it from happening to the people you love. Thankfully, these stories have happy endings for those involved, but sadly, we lose too many people to drowning every year. We hope examining these real-life stories help put the dangers of water into perspective and help you introduce various principles of water safety to your family!
Today’s story is unique from our other articles in that it shares pieces of conversation that occurred between a neighbor and 911 after recovering a young child from the water. The 911 dispatcher walks the hero through CPR and a local fire chief shares some safety tips to prevent drowning in the article below.
This call and the fire chief’s safety tips are invaluable. Here are some more actions you can take today to make your family safer if you experience an emergency and need to call 911.
-Make sure all family members know how to dial 911 and can provide your house address (you never know which one will be making the call)
-Make sure your house number is clearly visible from a driver’s point of view. You want emergency personnel to find you as quickly as possible!
-Keep medical information and prescription medication handy so you can pass it off to emergency personnel when they arrive. Create a form and keep it by the door so you can hand it to them quickly.
-Have an updated photo of family members easily available. Keep an annual family photo next to your medical form to hand to help and take a photo of everyone before an adventure so you have an up to date photo with what they are currently wearing.
-If travelling away from home, make sure someone knows where you will be and when you will be back. Make sure everyone travelling knows the location or can describe how to get there for emergency personnel.
We never want an emergency to happen, but by being prepared and implementing layers of protection we can prevent an emergency turning into a loss.
Take steps today to help prevent a drowning. Have fun, be safe, and be prepared before you need it!