Swim Safety

We all loved the sun-kissed look of summer skin, but a day in the sunshine requires extra caution to ensure your health and safety.

Believe it or not, the energy that comes from the sun is actually a form of radiation. Our atmosphere blocks much of the dangerous radiation, but two types of rays make their way through – Ultra Violet A (UVA) and Ultra Violet B (UVB). With the depletion of the ozone layer, these rays have become a more pressing health concern.

No one likes to think about it, but overexposure to the sun can cause more than just painful sunburns, including skin cancer, eye damage, and premature aging. With some simple precautions, you can limit your risks and enjoy the season safely.

Use Sunscreen. When you will be exposed to the sun, be sure to use a sunscreen that blocks both UVA and UVB rays. Sunscreen should be applied 15 minutes before sun exposure and should be reapplied after 2 hours of water exposure or sweating. Also, don’t forget to protect lips, ears, and the tops of your feet.

Protect Babies. Sunscreen isn’t recommended for babies under 6 months old, so it’s important to keep your baby in the shade as much as possible. If you are outdoors, bring an umbrella or use the shade in the baby’s stroller.

Wear Protective Clothing. Whether this means a wide-brimmed hat and sunglasses at the beach, a rash guard when surfing, or long sleeves when hiking, cover your skin as much as possible when playing in the sun.

Mind the UV Index. The National Weather Service calculates the UV Index, or the level of solar radiation expected, for most zip codes each day. Lower numbers mean a reduced risk, and higher numbers mean you should limit your sun exposure.

Be Aware of Timing. If you can’t see your shadow, you are in a peak time for sun exposure. Between the hours of 10:00 and 4:00, the sun is at its strongest. By being aware of the time of day, you can make the decision to seek shade more than sunshine.

Understand Reflection. Water, sand, and snow all reflect the sun’s rays, making overexposure happen faster. So regardless of the time of year, be aware of how your environment is impacting the strength of the sun. Protect your skin properly, so you can enjoy the day.

Avoid Sun Tanning. We understand that you value your sun-kissed skin, but avoid sun tanning as much as possible and certainly avoid tanning beds. You may with to try experimenting with self-tanning lotion, but don’t forget that it can’t replace sunscreen.

At Premier Aquatic Services, we are dedicated to ensuring the safety of our community members. We live in an environment of year-round sunshine, so we need to remember to take the proper precautions to keep ourselves safe. Additionally, we should always have a skin exam as a part of our annual doctor visits.

To learn more about issues relating to your child’s health and safety, sign up for one of our classes, enroll in swim lessons, or simply follow us on Facebook.

This summer, many groups will be headed to pools, lakes, and beaches to escape the heat and enjoy some fun. Regardless of whether it’s a church group, summer day camp, or community organization, group outings can be a fun and potentially dangerous scenario, especially when water is involved.

While group outings seem like a safer situation because there are so many individuals that could be looking after your child, sensory overload can cause the adult supervisors to lose track of individual children. To help parents evaluate their child’s safety in a group setting, the American Red Cross offers some essential questions to ask before your child gets on the bus.

May I see the written safety plan? Supervisors should have a plan to help maintain the safety of the children in their care. By asking this question before the departure date, you could help bring their potential lack of planning to their attention and help to ensure the safety of others in the group.

Will the group only be swimming in areas with a certified lifeguard? Whether at the pool or beach, it’s important for parents to know if a trained lifeguard will be monitoring the children’s playtime for saftey. For effective surveillance of the water and optimal safety, the standard rate of swimmers to lifeguard should not exceed 20-to-1.

What is the chaperone-to-child ratio? A group outing with five chaperones sounds great, until you hear that 100 children will be present. By understanding how many children each supervisor will be responsible for, you can make a better judgment on the plan that the group has in place.

What activities are planned, and how will they be supervised? Different water activities pose different risks. Additionally, some activities may require more skill in the water than others. By discussing the activities that are planned, you can help the chaperones understand your child’s skill level in the water.

How will a child’s swimming ability be evaluated and tracked? Whether it’s color coded swim caps or specified groups based upon ability, it’s important for individual chaperones to understand the abilities of each child in their care.

How will children be prevented from participating in activities that are above their skill levels? Especially in a large group, it will happen; some children will not have the necessary skills to participate in all activities. In that case, where will those children be directed and who will supervise them?

Is there a system in place to quickly account for all children? Whether it’s role calls, buddy systems, or small group counts, every group outing should have a way to quickly and efficiently know whether every member is present. This process should be practiced at least once at the beginning of the outing.

What levels of training are required for the staff (such as lifeguards) and chaperones? Understand whether the lifeguards are certified lifeguards, and ask about the skills of the chaperones. Are they trained in water safety, first aid, and CPR?

Premier Can Help You Prepare Your Chaperones

At Premier Aquatic Services, we specialize in keeping our community safe around the water. If you plan on having regular group outings during the summer and fall, you may consider enrolling your regular chaperones and supervisors in one of our Health and Safety Classes. If you are hosting an event at your local pool, you may consider hiring a professional Certified Premier Lifeguard to ensure the safety of your guests. Regardless of your needs, the team at Premier Aquatic Services wants you to have safe group outings all year round. Contact us to discuss what we can do to help you promote safety.

For more water safety tips, follow us on Facebook.

The summer is officially in full swing. With the Fourth of July holiday weekend just days away, now is the perfect opportunity to freshen up on some tips for keeping your children safe during celebrations that take place around water.

Inspect Your Safety Fence – With our beautiful, year-round weather, homeowners should inspect safety fences around pools and water features at the beginning of each season. However, it’s especially important to inspect it before having any summertime celebrations at your home. For more tips on preparing your home for a safe summer, read our blog: Residential Pool Safety Tips for Your Summer Fun.

Have a Water Watcher – This may be the single most important step for water safety during the weekend’s festivities. With a buzz of activity, it’s easy for an adult to get distracted by conversations, introductions, or other hosting duties. Every time you have children around water, it’s important to designate someone to be the Water Watcher. This individual’s sole responsibility is to supervise the pool and ensure everyone’s safety.

Teach Children to Swim – The best defense against childhood drowning is to teach your child the skills he or she would need to stay afloat in water. At Premier, we teach children of all ages, so that they can enjoy a lifelong love of the water.

Understand Their Ability – Not all children have the same abilities in the water. Especially when enjoying the water with children of ranging abilities, it’s essential to understand your child’s ability and monitor his or her activities in the water accordingly.

Recognize Their Curiosity – From one day to the next, a child’s curiosity can change. This can be dangerous around the water, as a curious child may venture too close to the pool, ocean tide-line, or fountain.

Avoid Floating Toys – While lots of fun, floating pool toys can give children a false sense of security and invite them to adventure above their skill levels.

Discourage Competitive Underwater Games ­– Games such as “who can hold their breath the longest” may seem like innocent fun, but they can lead to hyperventilating or losing consciousness.

Keep Pool Toys Hidden – Children who see something that they want can become determined to get it. Whether fun toys are inside the pool gate or simply sitting near the water, it can invite kids to get closer than they normally would without an adult.

Walk the Property at Parties – Summer parties often take place at someone else’s home. Just because there isn’t a pool in the backyard doesn’t mean there isn’t a drowning hazard around. Before letting your kids run off into the yard, walk the property to look for fountains, hot tubs, or other water features.

Check the Pool First – If a child goes missing, always check the water first. When it comes to drowning, every second counts.

Whether through childhood swim lessons or American Red Cross first aid courses, our #1 goal is to help create a safer community. For more information on drowning prevention, please read our two-part series: Reducing The Risk Of Childhood Drowning.

From the entire team at Premier Aquatic Services, we’d like to wish you a happy and safe Fourth of July weekend.

It’s a terrifying thing to think about – your baby falling into the water in the exact moment your attention has been redirected elsewhere. According to the CDC, fatal drowning is the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death (behind motor vehicle accidents) for children between the ages of 1 and 14.

With statistics such as that, it’s no wonder parents are searching for ways to protect their infants from drowning. Many parents are turning to survival type swim lesson programs, which may be doing more harm than good.

What is Survival Swim Training?

Simply put, survival type training, as opposed to child centered training, is a technique used to teach babies and children. It teaches the swimmer to float on his back if he suddenly finds himself emerged. To most parents, this sounds like a great skill for a child to have, and we agree. However, the techniques used to teach this skill has prompted significant controversy and, in our opinions, can cause unnecessary trauma to the child.

Ultimately, these types of lessons teach by simulating drowning scenarios with the intention that the child will learn to float on his back. For very short durations over 5-10 consecutive days, babies are continually submerged under the surface, either being released so they go under on their own or pushed under by the instructor. The instructor then manipulates the baby’s body to flip over and float, with the intention that the reaction will become a learned behavior.

Why Are Survival Type Swim Lessons Bad for My Baby?

In survival type classes, babies are repeatedly submerged underwater while their parents look on from outside the pool. Babies cry and scream, unable to understand what is happening. The concept is that over time, the babies will learn to flip themselves over and float. In the process, they inhale water, panic, and often develop a lifelong fear of water.

During these types of classes, lessons need to periodically be put on hold so babies can burp and spit-up the water and air they have inhaled. While the child screams out, parents are instructed to cheer for the baby and not offer help. After lessons conclude, babies lay on their left side for a period of time to help them get the remaining water and air out of their lungs and stomach. While babies are enrolled in survival type classes, parents are required to carefully track the child’s urination and bowel movements for signs of hyponatremia or water intoxication. Additionally, parents watch for vomiting, unusual exhaustion, coughing, and trouble breathing, which could be signs of dry drowning or secondary drowning.

Aside from what we see as physical dangers associated with survival type classes, we recognize the emotional impact classes have on babies. The trauma of survival type classes often leads to a fear of the water and distrust of swim instructors, teachers, and even the parent that watches from the side of the pool.

The Premier Aquatic Services Difference

At Premier, we understand the importance of baby swim lessons which are based on a child centered learning environment. Our early childhood swim classes are designed to teach children the five essential swimming skills every child should know while nurturing a love of the water. In our early childhood swim classes, parents are in the water with their children, providing a safe atmosphere and productive learning environment. We teach children essential lifesaving skills and develop proper swimming techniques.

Many of our older students have come to Premier with a fear of the water developed in survival type classes. They are able to turn and float, as learned in their survival type classes, but they are unable to actually swim. The certified swim instructors at Premier Aquatic Services are trained to teach students of all ages and abilities to develop skills, overcome fears, and increase their self-confidence in a fun, productive, and most importantly, loving environment. To learn more about our swim lesson programs and register family for winter and spring classes, visit our aquatic services page.

For more tips on reducing the risk of childhood drowning, visit our two-part blog series. For more information on water safety, follow us on Facebook.

Drowning can happen in as little as 60 seconds. According to the Orange County Fire Authority, drowning “is the leading cause of accidental injury and death in children under the age of five and the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 14.”

The Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation is an organization dedicated to saving lives across the nation through drowning prevention and water safety education. They have created a year-round educational campaign aimed at developing:

• Safer Water
• Safer Kids
• Safer Response

Premier Aquatic Services is proud to be a partner of the Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation, and each of our team members is passionate about the Safer 3 vision: to create a world without drowning.

Safer Water

It’s easy to forget that bodies of water (and the subsequent risk associated with it) surround us all the time. Especially in Southern California where many homes have year-round access to pools and spas, it’s essential for adults to take the time to identify where there are water risks and learn how to reduce the danger. Most adults forget seemingly innocuous bodies of water, such as bathtubs.

By teaching each of our community members to install barriers, including isolation fences around backyard pools, we can reduce the chances that a child will access the water without supervision.

Safer Kids

As with everything in life, families who take the time to learn essential skills and develop action plans will be better prepared to deal with risk. In an effort to promote water safety among children and parents, the Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation advocates Safer Kids in two major ways:

1. Stressing the importance of constant responsible supervision by adults while near a body of water.
2. Arming children with swimming skills attained through ongoing instruction by qualified swim instructors.

All of Premier Aquatic Services’ swim classes are aimed at teaching children how to keep themselves safe in and around the water. Whether it is early childhood swim lessons or summertime swim teams, our primary concerns are safety and skill building.

Safer Response

Regardless of all the preparation and preventative measures, emergencies can happen without warning. Through the Safer Response initiative, the Safer 3 Water Safety Foundation teaches the community how to deal with emergency situations without putting themselves at unnecessary risk and unintentionally making situations worse. Some of the Safer Response water safety tips include:

• Learning CPR and First Aid
• Having a phone by the pool at all times
• Maintaining rescue equipment, such as life saving rings and poles
• Teaching all family members what to do in an emergency

Many people don’t realize that a common, instinctual reaction when faced with a water emergency is to jump in after the person who is in trouble. Safer Response works to replace those reactions with effective responses such as using rescue equipment, alerting lifeguards, and calling for help.

Consult Your Community Safer 3 Partner

Through first aid training, water safety classes, and swim lesson programs, Premier Aquatic Services is dedicated to providing our local community with the skills they need to be safer in and around the water. However, a vital component of the Safer 3 is education. The experts at Premier Aquatic Services visit schools, youth conferences, and other events to speak with children and educators about water risks, safety, and drowning prevention.

Contact us to book a Safer 3 presentation for your classroom or youth group.