5 Factors That Increase The Risk Of Drowning In Wisconsin

WISCONSIN — An 8-year-old boy died Saturday after he was found unresponsive in a swimming pond in Wegner Park in West Bend, according to a WITI FOX6 report.

Milwaukee's McKinley is closed this this summer after several people drowned due to riptide hazards last summer.

These incidents highlight a series of water-related deaths across Wisconsin during June's rising heat. Paired with COVID-19 restrictions being loosened, more people are flocking to bodies of water to meet each other and cool off. But families should take precaution when bringing their kids to the lake or swimming pond.

"It's important for children to take swimming lessons to learn water safety skills and create safer habits in and around water," a Family Features group news release said. "As swimming lessons begin across the country, many are being conducted safely with COVID-19 precautions in place."

Drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1 to 4 than any other cause except birth defects, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention said. Drowning is also the second-leading cause of unintentional death of children ages 1 to 14, the CDC said.

These factors can increase the risk of drowning:

No swimming ability

Formal swimming lessons can reduce the risk of drowning among children from 1 to 4 years old, according to the CDC.

No or few barriers

Most children ages 1-4 drown in home swimming pools. Pool fencing and other barriers can prevent young children from getting to a pool area while unsupervised.

According to the CDC, a four-sided fence that separates the pool area from the house and yard reduces a child's risk of drowning by 83 percent compared to three-sided property-line fencing.

No close supervision

Drowning can happen quickly and quietly anywhere there is water, including bathtubs or buckets, notes the CDC.

No life jacket

Under Minnesota law, all children under the age of ten must wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket at all times while in a boat.

No CPR

Family Features recommends that parents and caretakers should learn CPR. "If the unthinkable does happen, knowing how to perform CPR allows you to take immediate action, which has been shown to significantly better the outcome for children with submersion injuries," the group notes.

"In the time it takes for paramedics to arrive, you could save someone's life. Seconds count; the quicker CPR is started, the better the chances of recovery."

Find out more information about pool and water safety at the CDC.