According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, every day, about ten people die from unintentional drowning. Of these, two are children aged 14 or younger. And drowning ranks fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States. Fortunately, you can reduce your risk around the water by following steps such as the following. Sources follow this article.

1. MAKE WATER SAFETY YOUR PRIORITY

• Do not allow anyone to swim alone. Even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach, use the buddy system. Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards.
• Ensure that everyone in the family learns to swim well. Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross water orientation and Learn-to-Swim courses.
• Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.
• Have young children or inexperienced swimmers wear U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets around water, but do not rely on life jackets alone. Make sure life jackets fit properly. If you go boating, wear a life jacket. Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
• Establish rules for your family and enforce them without fail. For example, set limits based on each person’s ability, do not let anyone play around drains and suction fittings, and do not allow swimmers to hyperventilate before swimming under water or have breath-holding contests.
• Be cautious around natural bodies of water including ocean shoreline, rivers and lakes. Cold temperatures, currents and underwater hazards can make a fall into these bodies of water dangerous.

2. PREVENT UNSUPERVISED ACCESS TO THE WATER

• Install and use barriers around your home pool or hot tub. Safety covers and pool alarms should be added as additional layers of protection.
• Ensure that pool barriers enclose the entire pool area, are at least 4-feet high with gates that are self-closing, self-latching and open outward, and away from the pool. The latch should be high enough to be out of a small child’s reach.
• If you have an above-ground or inflatable pool, remove access ladders and secure the safety cover whenever the pool is not in use.
• Remove any structures that provide access to the pool, such as outdoor furniture, climbable trees, decorative walls and playground equipment.
• Keep toys that are not in use away from the pool and out of sight. Toys can attract young children to the pool.

3. MAINTAIN CONSTANT SUPERVISION

• Actively supervise kids whenever around the water—even if lifeguards are present. Do not just drop your kids off at the public pool or leave them at the beach—designate a responsible adult to supervise.
• Always stay within arm’s reach of young children and avoid distractions when supervising children around water.

4. KNOW WHAT TO DO IN AN EMERGENCY

• If a child is missing, check the water first.
• Know how and when to call 9-1-1 or the local emergency number.
• Verify proper equipment is available, such as reaching or throwing equipment, a cell phone, life jackets and a first aid kit.

5. GET TRAINED IN CPR AND OTHER WATER SAFETY MEASURES

• Enroll in Red Cross home pool safety, water safety, first aid and CPR/AED courses to learn how to prevent and respond to emergencies.
• To learn more about available training opportunities in your area through the Red Cross, visit their website at www.redcross.org/take-a-class, contact the Red Cross Training Support Center at 1-800-RED-CROSS, or email Red Cross Training Support at [email protected].

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; American Red Cross; United States Coast Guard; National Swimming Pool Foundation; Safekids.org