Water safety: Drowning risk greatest in summer months

Though water is a natural companion to warm weather, it brings with it inherent hazards that make heightened safety and awareness essential. The Safe Kids U.S. Summer Safety Ranking Report, released by the government in 2007, reported an 89 percent increase in drowning deaths in the months of May through August.

In the past month, there have been four deaths and several near-deaths due to drowning in Utah. Two occurred on the Fourth of July weekend as a 17-year-old boy died after his raft overturned in Moab and a 3-year-old in Sanpete County drowned at the Yuma reservoir.

American Red Cross statistics report that drowning is the No. 1 cause of accidental death for children ages 1 to 4, and the second most common for those ages 1 to 14. Mary Matthiessen, director of health and safety for the American Red Cross in Salt Lake City, said it is important to recognize that a drowning can happen even in shallow water.

"A drowning can happen anywhere," she said. "You can drown in depths from a teaspoon of water to 2 inches of water. Wherever there is a pool of water, there is a chance of drowning."

Matthiessen said it is important for people to take precautions when walking near bodies of water and especially to pay attention to small children, who are less aware of dangers.

"Always watch young children," she said. "They love the water and if they see a ball floating, they have no depth perception. They can't see that the water is dangerous."

While it is best to have children in areas where they can be supervised by lifeguards, Matthiessen said that isn't enough. Parents need to be another set of eyes for their children. She said it is also important for parents to differentiate between water toys and legitimate flotation devices.

"Sometimes if children have floaties on, people depend on the floaties as a lifesaving device, but that's not what they are made for," she said. "They're for floating and recreation."

Utah is not alone in coping with drownings. In Texas, which has a much larger population than Utah, the Department of Family and Protective Services has reported 30 child drowning deaths during the month of June alone.

Locally, Salt Lake Sheriff's Office Lt. Don Hutson said there have been no mountain or canyon drownings yet in Salt Lake County this year.

"The water runoff has been very smooth this year," he said. "It's moving at a very slow pace so the waterways in mountains and canyons have been quite mellow. We've not had a mountain drowning and that is quite rare."

E-mail: emorgan@desnews.com