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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Emergency services, Oct. 16 ... Since You Asked: Park resurfacing delayed during winter ... SOU training gives tips on what to do if there's an active shooter ... Lauren Schiffman: Be safe in the water this summer Comment By Lauren Schiffman, More Content Now Posted Jul. 30, 2015 @ 9:42 am Recently, my 4-year-old was walking near a swimming pool. He wasn’t too close, but he wasn’t a safe distance away, either. Although his two older brothers were trailing closely behind him, I nevertheless became very nervous, and our friend subsequently covered her pool. (It was too cold to swim that day, anyway.) This experience got me thinking: Will friends or family know if someone is drowning? Do they even know what drowning looks like? I spoke with my colleague, Juanita Allen Kingsley, a wilderness emergency medical technician. She teaches a number of CPR and first aid courses and also speaks to different groups about water safety and drowning. Here, I share some of Juanita’s expert tips on and insights into drowning. First, and perhaps most important, drowning is silent. There is no screaming, and no arms waving, contrary to much of what we see about drowning on television. And it’s FAST. Sadly, drowning is the second leading accidental killer of young children – after car accidents. Half of the 750 children in the U.S. who drown each year do so within their parents’ and/or caregivers’ sight; it’s that subtle. Juanita suggests enrolling children in swimming lessons as early in their childhood as possible – and keep them in lessons until they are strong swimmers. We enrolled our son in swimming lessons when he was just 3, and he’s loved it from the very beginning. When you and your children are on boats, canoes or water skiing, be sure they wear life jackets. If you are participating in these activities at a lake or pool and you see that the lifeguards are inattentive, horsing around or distracted from their job of lifeguarding, ask to speak to the head guard on duty. This type of behavior should not be tolerated. Be sure that, as your children get older, you reinforce to them how often drowning accidents are accompanied by alcohol. According to the CDC, among adolescents and adults, alcohol use is involved in up to 70 percent of deaths associated with water recreation, almost a quarter of emergency department visits for drowning, and about 1 in 5 reported boating deaths. Alcohol influences balance, coordination and judgment, and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat. Unless you are a strong swimmer and have lifeguard training, please remember not to become the second victim. Often those who are drowning will struggle with their rescuer and put both of you at risk. Of course, as a parent, I also became certified in CPR; you may want to consider doing the same. Just in case. Lauren B. Schiffman is director of communications for Century Health Systems, parent company of Natick (Massachusetts) Visiting Nurse Association and Distinguished Care Options. For more information, visit www.centuryhealth.org , or call 508-651-1786. 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