Drowning Facts

How much time does it take to drown? In the time it takes to...

• Cross a room for a towel (10 sec), a child in a bathtub can be submerged.
• Answer the phone (2 min), a child can lose consciousness.
• Sign for a package at the front door (4-6 min), a child submerged in a tub or pool can sustain permanent brain damage.

How much water does it take to drown?

• Inches of water in a bathtub.
• A bucket of water.
• Standing water on top of a pool or spa cover.
• Any amount of water that covers the mouth & nose.

  Do people always yell for help?

• Most children do not yell for help.
• Non-swimmers or exhausted swimmers are unable to call for help.
• Drowning victims may be struggling under the water.

 Near Drowning

• Near drowning is survival after submersion in fluid.
• For each child that drowns, it is estimated that 4 children are hospitalized for near-drowning
• Nationwide, 2700 children ages 14 and under were treated in hospital emergency rooms for unintentional drowning-related incidents
• As many as 20% of near drowning survivors suffer severe permanent neurological disability.
• Nearly all who require CPR die or are left with severe brain injury.

 Areas of Risk Related to Drowning

• Home Pools/Spas/Ponds
• Inside Homes
• Natural Bodies of Water
• Boating & Personal Water Crafts

 Apartment & Residential Pools

• More than half of drownings among children ages 1-4 are pool related.
• More than half of these drownings occur in the child’s home pool.
• Most children were last seen in the home and had been missing from sight for less than 5 minutes.

• Inflatable & plastic pools should always be emptied after use.
• Remove steps from above ground pools.
• Drain water off the top of pool covers.

Diving Boards & Slides

• Not all swimming pools are designed with diving in mind, especially residential pools.
• Most spinal cord injuries result from diving into shallow water.