Ribbons aim to increase safety
By Damon Hodge
View staff writer
The local YMCA recently launched a Mothers Against Drunk Driving-styled ribbon campaign to heighten water safety awareness.
Clark County is among the nation's leaders in drownings of children 14 and younger, said Mary Ellen Britt, a public health nurse in the Clark County Health District's emergency medical services office.
There were 10 drownings and 52 near-drownings last year, and 70 percent of the victims were 3 years old or younger. The majority of the incidents occurred in a backyard swimming pool, Britt said.
There 14 drownings and 39 near-drownings in 1998 and six drownings and 47 near-drownings in 1997.
Through May of this year, there were 14 near-drownings and five drownings. The statistics comprise incidences in backyard pools, spas, bathtubs, Lake Mead and any body of water in which a child can submerge its head.
"We've had a child drown in an ice chest," Britt said.
The YMCA hopes the 10,000 blue ribbons serve as water-safety reminders. Ribbons are available at Green Valley Grocery stores; the Bennett Family YMCA, 4141 Meadows Lane; and the YMCA Northwest Leisure Service Center, 3521 N. Durango Road.
"Our goal is to have blue ribbons flying throughout the valley," said Michael Lubbe, president and CEO of the YMCA of Southern Nevada.
Ted Milano, aquatics instructor for the YMCA Northwest Leisure Services Center, said the ribbon campaign was modeled after MADD's successful red-ribbon drive where "you couldn't go anywhere without seeing a red ribbon."
He said the campaign builds upon water-safety initiatives offered by the American Red Cross and government-run parks and recreation departments.
"Drowning education prevention is really needed in Las Vegas," he said. "People are building pools in their backyards to survive the summers, but there are not a lot of laws (mandating) safety requirements (for those pools). Other cities have those laws."
In response to a nation-leading number of immersion accidents, Phoenix passed a 1990 fencing law requiring all single-family homes with pools and children under age 6 to have a fence between the house and the pool.
Sherryl Hutchinson, owner of Angel Pool Fencing, said calls for the mesh fences her company provides increase during the summer months.
Anchored by a tri-core aluminum and tightened by suspension hooks, the fence can be connected to a cement wall or wall of a home and stretched to cut off access to pool decks. The fence, available in 42-, 48- and 60-inch heights, is heat- and tear-resistant and too slippery for climbing. Cost is from $12 to $16 a foot.
"It's very successful in keeping children away," Hutchinson said.
In addition to fencing, the Clark County Safe Kids Coalition, which cites drowning as the leading cause of unintentional death in Southern Nevada for young children, recommends motion detector-type alarms, a poolside telephone, rescue equipment and a life line separating a pool's shallow and deep ends. Additional safety tips include equipping doors from the house with self-closing, self-latching mechanisms and programming doors and windows to alarm when they are opened.
Milano said the No. 1 mistake is parents or guardians leaving children unattended near water.
"Parents think they can drown-proof their children by giving them swimming lessons and having them wear floatation equipment," he said. "Once they see lifeguards (at a pool), they think they can leave their children to their own devices. Most of our saves were of small children whose parents were present."
Milano said floatation equipment can often hinder more than help. Arm floats can slip down to children's wrist, forcing them underwater, and most children aren't strong enough to pull themselves up, he said. Floats also limit the full-arm motion taught in swimming, he said.
"The only equipment the YMCA endorses is a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket," he said.
Diving is often a problem, as well. Milano said children who can't swim are often goaded into diving. The YMCA prohibits diving, except from diving boards.
"We've made saves on several older children (diving)," he said. "Our lifeguards spend a lot of time disciplining (children) and explaining rules. We have a long list of rules and it's important that children (and parents) understand them."
Through May, there were more drownings but fewer near-drownings in Southern Nevada, compared to May 1999, Britt said. A higher number of incidences occurred at public pools, which include apartment complexes and hotels, in addition to government-run pools.
"Unfortunately the incidences begin to peak in June," said Britt, adding that the health district has its own awareness campaign, "Constant Supervision Is The Answer."
The campaign advises parents to not leave toys around a pool or spa, remove items away from fences that can be used for climbing, designate an adult to supervise children, especially at social gatherings, and always look in the pool first if a child is missing.
The YMCA emphasizes five basic precautionary measures:
--Proper parental or adult supervision of children at all times;
--Be prepared for emergencies. Learn how to perform CPR and make sure a first-aid kit is nearby and well-stocked;
--Read and understand all posted rules at pools, beaches and lakes;
--Dive only where the water is deep -- at least nine 9 when diving from the edge of a pool and at least 12 feet when diving from any height;
--Children should learn how to swim in an organized setting with structured swim lessons.
The YMCA's swim program is open for children as young as 6 months. Instructors in the backyard swim program come to the home. Each session for those ages 3 and up includes five 45-minute lessons. The parent-child water experience program, for children ages six months to 35 months, is a series of five 30-minute sessions.
Other entities providing swim lessons include the American Red Cross and the parks and recreation departments from Boulder City, Henderson, Las Vegas , North Las Vegas and Clark County.
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