Drowning remains the second leading cause of unintentional injury death to children in Dallas County. Typically, children who drown are younger than 5, and most drown in residential pools. For every child who drowns, about four nearly drown, statistics show.

• Barriers are the single most important way to prevent young children from drowning. The most important barrier is a fence that completely surrounds the pool and isolates it from the yard.
• Assign an adult “water watcher” to supervise the pool/spa area, especially during social gatherings.
• Never leave a child alone near a pool or spa, bathtub, toilet, water-filled bucket, pond or any standing water in which a child’s nose and mouth may be submersed.
• Don’t rely on swimming lessons, life preservers or other equipment to make water safe for a child.
• If a child is missing, look in the pool first.
• Keep a phone near the pool for emergency calls.
• When out of the pool, remove all toys – children may reach in to retrieve toys and could drown.
• Communicate pool safety measures with the baby sitter and train the sitter in infant/child CPR. For older kids, it’s wise to have a buddy system when swimming; always wear a personal flotation device when boating or jet-skiing; and carefully check the depth of water in lakes or rivers before allowing children to go in the water.