Army Corps of Engineers - Water Safety

 Army Corps of Engineers - Water Safety and Life Jackets

The Army Corps of Engineers would like to remind parents and owners of pools to prevent unsupervised access to pools and large bodies of water. Even if you do not plan on swimming, be cautious around natural bodies of water including ocean shoreline, rivers, and lakes. Cold temperatures, currents, and underwater hazards can make a fall into these bodies of water dangerous.

Remember it only takes 60 seconds for an experienced adult swimmer to drown. Furthermore, it only takes about 30 seconds for a child to drown. Thus, we can reduce the risk of drowning by preventing unsupervised access to water. Staying within arm’s reach of young children and cutting out distractions while supervising children improve their safety. Keep toys that are not in use away from the pool and out of sight. Toys can attract young children to the pool. Finally, if a child is missing, check the water first. Seconds count in preventing death or disability. [1]

Furthermore, if you do not own a life jacket it is important to do so for your own safety in unfamiliar waters or when boating. There are five types of life jackets; however, two types of life jackets apply more to recreational use than the others. Therefore, we are going to discuss the benefits of type II and type III life jackets. One of the primary differences between the two life jackets is that type II life jackets turn an unconscious person upright in the water. Further differences between the two life jackets include that type II life jackets are cheaper and less bulky while type III life jackets are more comfortable and more suited for boating or recreational activities like water skiing. When trying to fit a life jacket, remember that a proper fit allows the life jacket to lift both your head and shoulders above water. Examples of an improper fit include the life jacket being too small or too large. A life jacket being too small causes a lack in buoyancy which causes a wearer to be unable to keep their head and shoulders above water.  Moreover, when the life jacket is too large, it causes the life jacket to rise above the shoulders and face causing the wearer to be considerably uncomfortable and impairs their ability to see and breathe properly.

Many people object to wearing life jackets because they are too uncomfortable. As described in the paragraph above, the likely cause of this is the size of the life jacket. A proper fitting life jacket should be both comfortable and allow the proper function of the life jacket. Furthermore, people tend to object to wearing life jackets because they do not look fashionable. While this is true, life jackets aren’t the most fashionable of items, the overall purpose of a life jacket is to save someone’s life. Personally, if it was a decision between life or being fashionable, I believe that the choice would be obvious.

It is clear that the benefits of wearing a life jacket outweigh the cons of not wearing a life jacket in specific situations. Perhaps no one could have said it better than William Ashworth, “Children of a culture born in a water-rich environment, we have never really learned how important water is to us. We understand it, but we do not respect it.” Therefore, we need to teach our children and others how to respect water and treat it with the respect it deserves.

http://www.redcross.org/prepare/disaster/water-safety [1]

http://www.cdc.gov/homeandrecreationalsafety/water-safety/waterinjuries-factsheet.html [2]