Swimming Safety Tips for the Summer

GREENVILLE, N.C. (WITN) - Summer is only a week away for most children in the ENC...and that means they’ll be spending most of their vacation outdoors, but will they do it safely?

A water safety expert at the Greenville Aquatics Center says when it comes to keeping children safe at swimming pools...there are only a few simple rules.

Lifeguards at swimming pools like the Greenville Aquatic Center in Greenville are ready for the summer season.

They will be responsible for making sure children swim safely and they are there to step in in the event of an emergency.

Member, Lori Bueller, says she taught her children and grandchildren pool safety when they were very young.

“One daughter, I used to take her to the pool...and she had swimming lessons,” says Bueller.

According to the North Carolina State Fire Marshal, drownings are the leading cause of death among children ages one to four and the second leading among children ages five to fourteen.

A study by lending tree finds more than 50 people have drowned in North Carolina pools in the last four years and nearly half of them were children.

Greenville Aquatic Center, Recreation Supervisor, Shannon Longo, says parents and caregivers should keep pool safety simple.

“If they are going to be in the water and they are unable to swim, they have a life jacket if possible, and if not just stay in an area where the child can stand so that they are safe,” says Longo.

The study also finds that North Carolina has the 8th highest number of pool drownings in the United States.

Beullar says lifeguards can only do so much and it is up to parents and caregivers to be the main source of safety.

“Keep an eye on em, and safety equipment, little water wings and boards and stuff. Stick with em, stick with em, that’s the biggest thing.”

It’s also important to make sure if you have a pool that your child can’t accidentally get into, and be mindful as well about pools and other bodies of water near you.

The summer schedule for most public pools in the United States begins Memorial Day weekend and ends Labor Day weekend.

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