Swimming Pool Safety Tips For July 4 In Illinois

ILLINOIS — With the Fourth of July weekend right around the corner, Illinoisans are gearing up for a splash in the water.

However, summer fun can end in tragedy. More than 3,700 Americans drowned in 2017, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with more than 700 of them under the age of 14.

In Illinois during 2018, the drowning death rate was 0.9 per 100,000.

About one in five people who die from drowning are children 14 and younger. For every child who dies from drowning, another five receive emergency care for nonfatal water injuries, the government health agency says.

Additionally, the CDC says drowning is a leading cause of injury death for young children ages 1 to 14.

Here are the five states with the highest drowning death rates in 2018:

1. Hawaii, 3.2 drowning deaths per 100,000 population
2. Louisiana, 2.1 drowning deaths per 100,000 population
3. Florida, 1.9 drowning deaths per 100,000 population
4. Arkansas, 1.8 drowning deaths per 100,000 population
5. Idaho, 1.7 drowning deaths per 100,000 population

Illinois ranks 29th out of the 38 states for which there was data.

One problem with drowning situations is that they don't look like the dramatic scenes depicted in movies, and the process can happen incredibly quickly. Children can drown right in front of adults, and multiple people can drown in relatively shallow pools without knowing how to swim.

That happened recently in East Brunswick, New Jersey, where local officials said that three members of the same family who were found dead in a pool did not know how to swim. The above-ground pool was mostly shallow, at 3.5 feet deep, but a portion of the pool was 7 feet deep.

Before people drown, they may be able to signal distress — but in many cases, they're unable to call for help.

Here are five tips for recognizing drowning, as originally published in the Coast Guard's On Scene magazine:

1. In all but rare circumstances, people are psychologically unable to call for help. The respiratory system is designed for breathing, and speech is a secondary function: "Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs," the article said.
2. A drowning person's mouth alternately sinks below the surface of the water and then reappears, but the mouth is never above the surface long enough to exhale, inhale and cry for help. A drowning person will exhale and inhale quickly before their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water again.
3. Drowning people can't flag down help. "Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water's surface," the article said. "Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe."
4. When they're drowning, people lose control of their arms. They're struggling to stay afloat in the water and "cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment," the article said.
5. While they're drowning, people will remain upright in the water, and there's no evidence of a supporting kick.

Here are six tips provided by PoolSafely.gov to help ensure that swimming pools stay safe:

1. Never leave a child unattended in or near water. The public education campaign also recommends that parents and caregivers should remain alert even if there is a lifeguard on duty.
2. Teach children how to swim. "Swimming is not only fun, it's a lifesaving skill," according to PoolSafety.gov.
3. Teach children to stay away from drains. Children's hair, limbs, jewelry or bathing suits can all get stuck in a drain or suction opening. Make sure to locate the drains before getting into the pool.
4. Ensure all pools and spas you visit have compliant drain covers. Powerful suction from a pool or spa drain is enough even to trap an adult.
5. Install proper barriers, covers and alarms on and around your pool and spa. "A fence of at least 4 feet in height should surround the pool or spa on all sides and should not be climbable for children. The water should only be accessible through a self-closing, self-latching gate," says the PoolSafety website.
6. Know how to perform CPR on children and adults. Learning CPR can help save a life.