Water safety tips before Memorial Day weekend

Ronnie Phelps, the Aquatics Director at the Jefferson City YMCA’s said the biggest step parents can take in keeping their kids safe around water is enrolling them in swim lessons.

She also said the younger parents start children in the lessons the safer they will be.

With this weekend being the kickoff for water-related sports and activities around the United States, Phelps says it’s important to know the safety hazards around water.

This coming weekend is also a weekend when drowning deaths increase.

“Drowning is the second leading cause of accidental death in children under the age of fifteen,” said Phelps.

She said there is a simple way to prevent someone from drowning.

“Formal swim lessons really can prevent a child from drowning by 88%,” said Phelps.

At the YMCA, there is always a lifeguard on duty, but Phelps said as far as pool safety goes, it’s not just drowning that can cause a deadly injury.

“We need to watch for those accidents, hitting the head, diving in on top of somebody, those types of things, but that’s one of the things they learn in swim lessons is what to look out for in those situations,” said Phelps.

She said it’s also common for adults to take swim lessons, as well. She said there is a class offered at the YMCA where parents can take the class with their child.