Water Safety

Vermont has so many swimming pools, lakes and rivers. When it is hot outside you might want to go to the swimming pool, a lake or river with your family to stay cool and maybe swim. Here is some advice to stay safe when you are by the water or choose to go swimming. The safest places to swim have a lifeguard. Lifeguards are expert swimmers, and know how to save a person who is drowning or who has hurt themselves while swimming. The lifeguard has equipment to help if there is an emergency. Never swim alone. Always swim with a friend or family member. Never allow someone to swim alone. Anyone who does not know how to swim should stay in water no deeper than their waist. Never trust a child to watch another child. Make sure there is an adult who is always watching every swimmer to be sure they are safe. Make sure the adult is not looking at their cell phone, eating or reading a book. For younger children and children who are not good swimmers, get in the water with them. Even if you are not swimming but there is water nearby, always keep your children close by. Do not put yourself in danger if someone in the water needs help. Even a strong swimmer cannot help someone who is panicking in the water. Stay safely on land if possible. Use a rope, board or floating object between yourself and the struggling swimmer. If a swimmer has become unconscious, get them out of the water and immediately call 911 for help. When you swim in a river or the ocean, the current can be strong enough to make a strong swimmer struggle and pull them under the water. It is best to always swim where there is a lifeguard on duty. Heavy rainfalls can make it dangerous when swimming in streams, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. Stay away from them for several days after the rain has ended. Check the water temperature and weather conditions before going into the water. it’s not safe to swim in the rain, particularly if there is thunder and lightning. If the weather changes, swim back to land. Lake and river water can be too cold to swim safely even as late as mid-June. You need to be able to stay calm and think well when you are in water, so never swim when you have been drinking alcohol or taking drugs. When on a boat every person should have a lifejacket on at all times. Children need a lifejacket that is the right size. A lifejacket or swim aid is not a replacement for knowing how to swim. The BEST way to prevent a person from drowning is for them to learn how to swim. Learning to swim should be a priority for every family. The YMCA is one place that offers swim lessons. Children, and their parents, need to learn how to swim so that spending time by the water is safe and fun!