Teens, Young Adults at Highest Risk for Open Water Drowning

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla., July 1, 2011 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Joel Johnson, 21, of Lauderhill, Fla. drowned last week when he and friends from Florida Gulf Coast University took a late-night swim in a campus lake when no lifeguards were on duty.

Brion McCray, 15, of College Station, Texas drowned last Saturday in the Welch Park area of Lake Somerville after a personal watercraft he was riding overturned.

Dylan Shafer, 13, of Okmulgee, Okla., drowned at Paradise Point on Lake Eufaula in McIntosh County Sunday, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol reports.

Eight drownings and two near drownings occurred in Utah's natural bodies of water this spring and summer according to the Desert News.

"We are deeply saddened by these and the rash of similar tragedies occurring across the country and urge all parents to talk with their children, especially teenagers and young adults, about the special risks associated with open water environments and teach them to avoid dangerous behaviors," said Kim Burgess, executive director of the National Drowning Prevention Alliance in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

In a new web feature article http://www.cdc.gov/Features/dsDrowningRisks/ the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that, among all ages, about half of all drownings occur in natural bodies of water. In 2007, at least 43 percent of all drownings occurred in natural water settings, and an additional 9 percent occurred in boating incidents. This is almost three times the number of drownings that occurred in swimming pools that same year.

"Overall, children ages 1 to 4 are at the highest risk for drowning," said Julie Gilchrist, M.D., medical epidemiologist for the CDC, in Atlanta, Ga. "However, in natural water settings, young people 15 to 24 years have the highest rates." The CDC article states that natural water is the most common drowning site for this age group and that males account for 88 percent of all drownings in natural water settings, including while boating.

"There is a critical need for lifeguards at all recreational aquatic environments—both pools and open water," said Robert (Bob) Ogoreuc, an assistant professor at Slippery Rock University in Slippery Rock, Pa. and president of NDPA. "Each type of open water has its own specific hazards—from strong surf and currents in the ocean, to swift water in rivers and streams, to drop offs and underwater debris and entanglement hazards in lakes—any of which can endanger even an accomplished swimmer," says Ogoreuc.

The U.S Life Saving Association reports that in 2010 there were 134 drownings on unguarded beaches within its jurisdiction. The organization has calculated the chance that a person will drown while attending a beach protected by USLA affiliated lifeguards at 1 in 18 million. That's why Ogoreuc is outraged by a growing trend, in many states, to eliminate lifeguards at open water beaches, including in his home state of Pennsylvania. In an opinion piece published in the Winter 2008 edition of American Lifeguard Magazine, Ogoreuc wrote: "The open water environment is very dangerous and still lacks the respect of the non-swimmer to marginal swimmer. I fear that without lifeguards on duty, many marginal swimmers will encounter this unforgiving environment without anyone around to assist or educate them."

NDPA Board Member Gerald M. Dworkin, a water safety consultant with Lifesaving Resources, Inc. in Harrisville, N.H., recommends that weak and non-swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices when playing in open water environments. "We tend to think of life jackets as essential only for boating but they are important safety device for all kinds of water recreation." He adds that life jackets must be snugly fitted and recalls rescuing a young child who slipped out of an adult-sized life jacket when he and his father capsized during a tubing excursion. "Luckily, I got to the child at the very moment that he slipped out of the life jacket and I was able to grab him just as he sank below the surface. A few seconds later would have been too late."

The U.S. Coast Guard reports that almost three-fourths of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, 84 percent were not wearing a life jacket. Moreover, 9 out of 10 drownings occur in inland waters, most within a few feet of safety.

It's also crucial to avoid alcoholic beverages when engaged in any type of water recreation says Kim Tyson, NDPA Immediate Past President and aquatics coordinator for the University of Texas at Austin. "Alcohol not only impairs your judgment, but the movement of water heightens its intoxicating effects," says Tyson.

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance wants you to know that all aquatic environments have risk. But risk can be managed if you follow these Safer 3 tips for Safer Water, Safer Swimmers, and Safer Response:

• Swim near a lifeguard.
• Swim only in designated areas.
• Read and heed beach regulations, signs and warning flags.
• Be aware of underwater hazards.
• Learn to recognize and escape from rip currents.
• Check weather forecasts and never swim during thunder or lightning.
• Protect children from unsupervised access to any body of water.
• Never swim alone; use the buddy system.
• Learn to swim proficiently and don't overestimate your skill or strength.
• Supervise and stay close to young children.
• Take a water safety class.
• Swim and boat sober.
• Wear a life jacket. Never rely on inflatable rafts, tubes or similar toys to keep you afloat.
• Enter feet-first; never dive into open water. 
• When in distress, call or wave for help.
• Learn to recognize the signs of someone in distress or drowning.
• Call 9-1-1 for all emergencies.
• Reach or throw; don't go. Use reaching and throwing assists to help a distressed swimmer.
• Know how to perform CPR.

For more information visit NDPA.org. and CDC.gov.

bev@payton.com

215-357-5075

The National Drowning Prevention Alliance is a volunteer-driven 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2004. NDPA members are dedicated to preventing drowning for all age groups in all bodies of water through public education, advocacy and strategic partnerships. The public is invited to join by visiting NDPA.org.

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