The Lawrence-Douglas County Health Department urges residents to practice safety while boating and swimming in area lakes.
“The main factors that affect drowning risk are lack of swimming ability, lack of close supervision and failure to wear life jackets,” Environmental Health Specialist Andrew Stull said. “Additionally, alcohol often plays a contributing factor.”
Every day, about 10 people die from unintentional drowning in the United States, and of those, two are children ages 14 and younger. Of drowning victims who survive and are treated in emergency rooms, more than half are hospitalized or transferred for further care. These individuals often experience brain damage, which can cause memory problems, learning disabilities, or permanent loss of basic functioning.
Help prevent drowning by:
• Designating an adult to watch children swimming or playing around water. Adults should not be involved in any other distracting activity.
• Using the buddy system. Adults should swim with a buddy and select sites that have lifeguards when possible.
• Using life jackets appropriately. Don’t use air-filled or foam toys, such as noodles or inner tubes, instead of life jackets because they are not designed to keep swimmers safe.
• Avoiding alcohol when swimming, boating or supervising children.
• Knowing the local weather conditions and forecast before swimming or boating.