Here's an unexpected suggestion: Today is the perfect moment to be a nosy neighbor and check out the safety measures surrounding not just the swimming pool in your own backyard, but to make a phone call or peep over the fence to check the swimming pool next door, or the swimming pool belonging to a relative. When it comes to saving children's lives, go ahead, make a nuisance of yourself.
A toddler nearly drowned in a North Haven swimming pool on Sunday. A 2-year-old boy, police said, was found unresponsive. Police and ambulance personnel raced to the scene and administered CPR, after which the child was taken to Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and then Stony Brook University Hospital, where he remained as of Tuesday. Suffolk officials issued a press advisory about pool safety the day after this frightening North Haven accident; officials also authorized a rare text alert that showed up on thousands of county residents' phones.
Was this level of alarm necessary? Absolutely, given the number of similar incidents recently on Long Island. The North Haven incident was the fifth drowning or "near drowning" since June 28, according to the Suffolk County Police Department. Three of the four previous incidents involved children under the age of 10.
Sadly, the outcome isn't always a life saved. During the height of the pandemic, in 2020, for example, a young girl who had accompanied her mother to work cleaning houses died in a swimming pool in East Hampton.
It's not news that swimming pools are dangerous, but we live in a particularly vulnerable region when it comes to water safety. Thousands of families rent houses, often for short terms; their children are unfamiliar with the property layout and the protocols surrounding do's and don'ts. And then there's the added danger of adults and teenagers partying and drinking near water.
According to federal statistics, child drownings continue to be the leading cause of death among children from 1 to 4 years old. Suffolk is the 27th most-populated county in the United States, but child drownings here could top that of Los Angeles, the largest county, by the end of the year.
Learning to swim is said to be the best drowning prevention, but more than half of U.S. adults have never had a single lesson. Kids as young as 2 can start, and, in East Hampton Town, elementary school students do take part in drown-proofing programs at the Y.M.C.A. East Hampton RECenter. Open-water swimming lessons are offered in East End towns, too, generally beginning at age 3 or 4. Additionally, anyone taking care of children is encouraged to take lessons in CPR. Still, competent supervision and limiting access to pools are essential, and that's where we all can help.
Basic barriers include gates and fences at least four feet tall. Gate latches should be self-operating and too high for small children to reach. Floating alarms are required in some places; go ahead, check the code. If a house door leads directly to a pool area, alarms are also recommended.
In East Hampton, one of the conditions for property owners securing a town rental-registry permit is making an assurance that the above preventive steps are in place. If you're a landlord, have you installed alarms? If you're a renter reading this, is an alarm in place? Is there any rescue equipment available? If so, do you know where it is?
Another, less obvious suggestion is removing tempting toys from in and around pools when they are not in use. Yes, that inflatable swan looks adorable bobbing in that empty pool, but do you really want a toddler trying to reach it? Preparation is a small price to pay for protecting the smallest among us.