PALM BEACH GARDENS, Fla. — With kids out of school and summer underway, a water safety advocate is urging parents to take drowning prevention seriously — and says the danger is often closer to home than many realize.
Keri Morrison, founder of the Live Like Jake Foundation, said drownings can happen faster than most people expect.
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"Drownings happen in as little as 21 seconds, so that's a quick phone call, turning around to talk to another parent," Morrison said.
Morrison founded the organization after losing her son to drowning in 2013. She said the threat is especially serious for young children in Florida.
"Drowning is the leading cause of death in children ages one to four, and in our state we're seeing record numbers. Last year we had 120 recorded deaths, and this year we're at 35," Morrison said.
Morrison said prevention starts with layers of protection, beginning with supervision.
"Never, ever, ever leave a child in or around water ever alone, even if they're older. If you have a home with a pool, regardless of whether you have young kids or not, please fence it with a self-latching and closing gate," Morrison said.
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She also recommends dressing children in bright swimwear to make them easier to spot underwater.
Morrison warned that some popular flotation devices can actually put children at greater risk.
"Water wings, puddle jumpers, even life vests in the pool being used as a swimming aid are very dangerous for your child. They put them in the vertical position, which is actually the drowning position," Morrison said.
The best protection, Morrison said, is enrolling children in self-rescue swim lessons — and she said it is never too early or too late to start.
"These lessons can start as young as six months of age, as long as the child can sit up independently. It's never too late to put them in swim lessons," Morrison said.
For families who cannot afford lessons, Morrison said help is available through her organization.
"We offer scholarships for swim lessons for families that can't afford them," Morrison said.
Education and constant attention, experts say, can make all the difference in preventing drownings.
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