January 19, 2023 – 01:39
From the lifeguard association they regretted that many trust flotation toys or that the boys know how to swim. They provided recommendations to avoid drowning tragedies.
After the death of a two-year-old baby after drowning in a home pool, experts insisted that adults accompany and monitor children while they play in the water.
From the Salta Lifeguard and Related Association, Sugara, they provided a series of tips so that the boys are safe while they are in a pool.
“These are not isolated cases. In the province we have these fatalities every year,” lamented the president of the entity, Raúl Sánchez Bustamante.
The referent observed that many parents or caregivers rely on toys that help float and stop paying attention to the children.
He clarified that the little arms, the inflatables and the floats are not safety elements: “They are toys created for the pool, they do not provide protection. They give the user buoyancy, but they are made to play in the water.” He pointed out that they should be used under the care of an adult.
The graduate in Physical Education and head of the Amgaa training center (Asociación Mutual Guardavidas Argentinos Asociados) Salta recommended not entrusting the siblings with the care of the little ones because they do not have the responsibility to do so.
He commented that, sometimes, in public pools, a single adult is seen in charge of many children, which causes problems not only for the lifeguards, but also for the responsible adult. He noted that this can lead to accidents and drowning.
He pointed out that many fathers and mothers “relax” because their children know how to swim or go to swimming school. He clarified that, when they go to class, the boys are in a careful context, with ropes, with classmates and the teacher in charge, who is attentive: “In an open pool this does not happen.”
He said that in public pools it is important to make sure there are lifeguards. In the private ones, which do not have bars or fences, he asked “to be very attentive”, since “the child does not measure the danger and jumps into the water.” He commented that in aquatic contexts he thinks that all pools are equally deep.
He commented that the boys always play “100%”, and when they are in the water they get tired and stop swimming. If they are in a deep area this is dangerous.
The expert observed that drowning in children is different from that of adults, because it occurs very quietly: they generally stop exerting force to get their airways out of the water and do not shout or make strong movements, such as to call someone’s attention.
He considered that it is essential to take cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) courses and to know how to use an automatic defibrillator, as well as to know where these are located.
From the association they are looking for a law to guarantee aquatic safety in Salta. “There are many rivers, lakes and pools that still do not have a lifeguard or first aid service,” he said, lamenting that “until tragedies happen, precautions are not taken.”