SANTA ANA, CALIF. June 25, 2015 — Summertime is here, and thousands of Orange County residents will head to beaches and pools this season. Unfortunately, the summer months are also synonymous with an increase in drowning and swimming accidents.
The American Red Cross Serving Orange County is encouraging residents to be prepared and stay safe this summer. “We're asking every family to make sure that both adults and children can swim and that parents make water safety a priority,” said Janet Whitcomb, interim regional chief executive officer at the American Red Cross Serving Orange County.
Every day in the U.S., an average of 10 people die from unintentional drowning – and one in five of them are children 14 or younger, according to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Be safe at the beach and the pool this summer with the following tips:
Water Safety
Drowning Prevention
Be Ready to Respond
“Summer is the perfect time to enroll children in Red Cross swim lessons, the first step in practicing water safety,” said Whitcomb. “The Red Cross created the first national water safety program in the U.S. – and today it’s still the gold standard, training more than two million people annually.”
Red Cross swimming lessons help people develop skills and water safety behaviors that help people be more comfortable and safe when they are in, on and around the water. The Red Cross encourages all household members to enroll in age-appropriate water orientation and Learn-to-Swim programs. To find classes for your family, contact your local aquatic facility and ask for American Red Cross swimming and water safety programs, or visit redcross.org/oc.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation's blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org/oc or visit us on Twitter at @OCRedCross.