Drowning

DROWNING IS SILENT AND SECONDS SAVE LIVES

Drowning is silent and seconds save lives. This is the message Australia’s peak swim school industry body is spreading far and wide after the pandemic pause on swimming lessons led to a national skills regression among young children. After two years of ongoing disruptions, which forced swimming lessons to shut down for months at a time, there has never been a better time to turn our attention to swim safety and protect early swimmers who have missed out on this vital stage of their development. Helping put an end to child drownings, the Australian Swim School Association (ASSA) is supporting thousands of families nationally in sharing the water safety message. We are reminding families that seconds count when it comes to child drownings and it’s not only the pool that offers risk - bathtubs, kiddie pools and ponds are also hazardous. From parents to carers, it’s everyone’s job to discuss drowning prevention all year round as you can never be too prepared.

You cannot always hear when a child is in danger and that is why prevention is crucial - as is having an emergency action plan - should the other layers of protection be broken. If you haven’t thought about what you would do if there was an emergency in or around water, here are our top tips: 1) If a child is missing, check any water areas FIRST - seconds count 2) Ensure everyone who cares for your child, including you, knows CPR 3) Have an Emergency Action Plan in place, especially if you have a home pool or live close to a waterway 4) Ensure all the other layers of protection are around your child - supervision, barriers and swimming and water safety skills - dealing with an emergency is the second line of defence. We strongly encourage mums with babies and young children to have discussions around what to do if a child finds themselves in danger and to have an emergency plan to refer to. To open the conversation around safer swimming, ASSA launched the Countdown to Summer Series on November 1. Launched in 2020, the Countdown to Summer Series is a water safety campaign that helps educate parents by offering tips to prevent drownings and non-fatal drownings at home. It also shares the vital water safety messaging year-round and incorporates ASSA’s friendly mascots, the SAFERwater Warriors.

Each SAFERwater Warrior has a vital message attached to them and is designed as a fun approach to spreading vital water safety messages.

Swimming Skills = GLIDE Adult Supervision = SKYE Fences & Gates = FORCE Emergency Action Plan = DASH

By Emily McNeill, General Manager of ASSA. The Australian Swim Schools Association is a not for profit founded in 2016 and it is the national peak industry body for swim schools and learn to swim businesses, teaching swimming and water safety. australianswimschools.org.au