I’ve been asked to blog a post for North Shore Mums on a
topic that, well it’s not discussed enough.
DROWNING.
This summer again you will hear of toddlers drowning through
immersion accidents. Whether it be in a
pool, bath, or inland water way, children will die. Now I get that there are a
quite a few right reading this saying to themselves “that’s not going to be my
child I watch them all the time.” I get
it. I was a mum who said this all the
time with five kids and never once did I ever believe any one of my kids could
drown. But Hannah did. At 34 months she plunged into the cold icy
waters of our pool using a chair to climb up and use the keys and then unlock
our gate. I had been changing Harry’s
nappy that’s how long it took. How many
change nappies and lose sight of your adventurous toddler? Add to this do you
have a pool? Even if you don’t there are
a whole list of dangers in your home.
Take a look around and see dangers.
Supervision is paramount around, in and on the water and
preventing childhood home accidents. At
home when things are relaxed and it’s a day in, day out, routine, anything can
happen. It happened to me on the 4th
October 2007.
For eight years now I’ve been advocating for better
education of parents and carers of young children to be aware of the constant
dangers in the home, in particular around water. I will concentrate today on the home. Predominately drownings will occur in a home,
whether it is yours or a friends that doesn’t matter.
Pools, dams and baths are the three highest places in
statistics where toddlers drown. Bath
drownings usually occur when the adult supervisor has walked away. On two occasions in eight years I am well
aware of two fatalities in a bath where the carer/ adult has had a medical
episode and died, sadly the baby died too.
It’s a distressing situation but most bath drownings occur when children
are left unattended or left in the care of another sibling. My pet hate is the latter deaths. Don’t leave children supervising
children. Adults must supervise around
water. There is no reason that a sibling
should be bathing a baby. Take
everything in the bathroom with you, towels, clothes, hair brushes etc. Never leave that bath room until the child is
out of the water, the bath plugged is removed and placed in a higher part of
the room so kids can’t access it and when you leave close the door. I urge everyone to put the bath plug out of
reach because there have been bath drownings when older siblings have run a
bath, got distracted, walked away and a toddler has fallen in. Supervision
in the bathroom is paramount.
Toilet drownings are rare in Australia due to our design of our S bend
and the fact that toddlers heads won’t hit the water unlike our USA
counterparts. USA Toilets are the third
highest drowning hazard for toddlers
Dams were the highest in QLD alone last year. 13 children under 14 died in a dam. 11 were swimming in the dam at the time of
their deaths with many adults and children around them. When waters are murky it’s crucial that if
you can’t see the bottom of the water there is lurking possible dangers that
you must stay above it. Water in a dam
always looks flat but underneath the water is a hazard that can kill. I urge every parent when visiting dams and
taking the kids for a paddle that you always wear life jackets. A proper Personal Floatation Device. NOT a DARN SWIM VEST. Swim vests are dangerous in dams and they are
classified for swimming toys under the Australian Standards. As a swim teacher I loathe those swim
vests. If you don’t have a PFD for
your children I strongly urge you to get into the water them and keep them at arm’s
reach. Make a rule that all children
are NOT allowed to go under the water fully submerged. Heads on top of the water makes an easier
head count. It only takes a split
second to lose sight of a child. One
minute you will have eight heads the next few seconds you only have seven. It’s that quick.
House dams are also a highly statistical hazard. Fence your house off. Don’t give the excuse but there is no law
for it, or my kids can swim, or they kids don’t go to the dam. My point is simple. Kids are adventurous. Kids are clever. Kids are very quick. Research in 2009 conducted by Hannah’s
Foundation for an inquest equated that girls are more likely to use objects to
scale a fence or problem solve the access and boys are more likely to go
through a gap or panel or hell they will just try and force it. It’s similar
with pool fences too. Girls climb or
use objects, boys will find a way.
Pools. I hate this
subject. It is too close to home for me
and after eight years of promoting drowning prevention in particular pools it’s
been an exhausting highway. With pool
laws changing in every state and in QLD Hannah’s Legacy comes in to enforcement
on the 1st December 2015 I urge you all to be on the lookout.
There may be many families who don’t have a pool. More often than not a pool immersion is at a friend’s
house or in an unfamiliar place.
Remember kids are inquisitive, they will explore. BE ALERT.
When at home or a visiting friends, having a playgroup day
or mothers meet up, always CHECK The pool fence yourself. Even if someone says “oh the gates shut” it
could not be. Just looking at a pool
gate you just shouldn’t assume that it’s shut and locked. Now I hate key lock gates. Two girls died by accessing pool fences and
their parents couldn’t climb over quick enough and in a panic they couldn’t
find the key. When a child is in danger
in the water seconds count. Many people
even leave the key in the lock, well that’s an invitation to any toddler with
the help of a young mate. Watch two
toddlers. They will problem solve
together. There are many causes of why
a child drowns (in any type of water).
Supervision breakdown.
Supervision breakdown can be for seconds, minutes and even
hours. I’ve rarely met someone in the latter category. It only takes 20 seconds for a child to start
drowning and the brain to be deprived of Oxygen. Once you get to minutes and past five minutes
its often fatal. 93% of drowning
victims are more likely to die even with CPR.
7% will make it but only 2% will walk out of hospital without injury. Learn CPR but don’t rely on it. Teach your kids to swim its crucial but
don’t rely on it. More child victims
drowned last year who could swim or were in lessons at the time of their
death. The lesson for parents/carers is
SWIMMERS, even good ones can drown.
Swimming will not save your life if you forget, are unsupervised,
knocked out by another swimmer, hit your head or have a medical condition. I teach all my students to always float on
their backs when they get tired. Don’t
go vertical to get your breath. You
can’t rest by treading water. In fact
treading water will only exhaust a swimmer faster and you are more likely to
inhale water whilst vertical as opposed to on your back.
Secondly, Pool fences.
95% of pools in Australia as I type this DO NOT COMPLY. Just because you have a fence does not mean
it is up to standard to the new laws.
Unless it’s been recently checked by a certifier. Portable pools must be fenced. Wading/Paddle pools must be emptied every
time you use it.
Pool gates must be 1.2m in height. Pool locks must be at 1.5m, for glass its
30cm behind the gate, no gaps of 10cm anywhere around the pool fence, the gate
must open outwards and be self-closing and have a magnetic latch. CHECK YOUR fence bolts and make sure they
are secure. Climbable zones such as
plants, bbqs, play equipment, chairs, tables, kid’s bikes and toys anything in
that arc from the top of the fence out 1.2m must be removed. Inside the pool fence must be clear at least
30cm. Remember KIDS CLIMB. In QLD it is
90cm but I firmly recommend the 1.2m. Kids
can stretch and 90cm isn’t far when you are three years old. They are monkeys. Leave nothing to chance
when it comes to kids’ lives and safety.
Pool gates are the primary cause of drowning deaths, the
main reason is that pool owners PROP them open. DO NOT PROP A POOL GATE (#Stopdontprop,
#WilliamsLaw) not even for a minute. It
only takes 20 seconds and you will not hear a child drowning. Its silent.
Drowning is one of the leading causes in child death. It is also the most stigmatised deaths for
children. This summer you will hear it
on the news, read it in the paper, and see it on the television that another
toddler has drowned. You will probably
pass a quick judgement towards the mother too but for me, as a Peer Support
worker, 76% of drownings last year mum was at work, out shopping and their
child was in the care of someone else. It’s
not always mum, so don’t be quick to pass that judgement because you could be
this mum.
This summer you will probably read of Hannah’s Foundation
supporting families. It’s been two weeks
since I met another set of parents turning the life support of their
child. It’s heartbreaking but that is
what Hannah’s Foundation does. We
advocate, educate and provide emotional, physical and financial support. Our Peer Support Officers are all parents
like me, it’s primarily myself, Andrew, husband, Kelly Taylor in Sydney and two
other mums in Victoria who help families via social workers at the Children’s
Hospital. I also counsel Police Officers through their workplace services in
Victoria. It’s important to have that
understanding of a tragedy. That
helplessness even though you fought for that little life. Many of those I speak to in the workplace
were the first responders. First
responders, just like me, trained in CPR, rescuing the child from the water
doing everything in our power to bring them back. I share a lot of the anguish with first
responders mainly people just going about their daily business then a tragedy
happened and changed them forever.
This blog post may sound like an authoritarian or rudely blunt. I hold no punches. In all honestly I NEED DROWNINGS TO
STOP. I selfishly want my life
back. It will not always be the same now
Hannah is gone but for every day a drowning doesn’t happen. Is a day I am not needed to console the
heartbreak of another family.
I was always under the belief that swimming saves lives and
so did CPR. Both failed my little girl
Hannah and countless of other kids since.
Over 100 kids have died since Hannah’s death and I vowed to make that
statistic ZERO. As a country the only
way drowning deaths will stop is when people listen. It can happen anytime, anywhere and to
anyone.
This summer I don’t want to hear of a toddler drowning. I want you all to share the education, be
aware and alert to the dangers of drowning.
Supervise the kids around water, wear lifejackets and make sure your
fences are secure. These three barriers
together save lives.
Stay safe this summer in, on and around water.
On social media we use the following hashtags #hannahsfoundation
#JaisesLawNSW #WilliamsLaw #stopdontprop #lifejacketsyourseatbeltsonthewater
#poolsafety
Kat
PlintFounder of Hannah’s Foundation
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