Drowning prevention: effective or very little safety features

Drowning is the second most common cause of accidental death among children in France since 1990. Most drownings occur in swimming pools and are preventable. But can drowning prevention be based solely on technical safety devices? Answer.

Drowning prevention: two types of existing devices

There are two types of drowning prevention devices that could help prevent drowning:

– the first one is to keep a person afloat in the water

– the second is to sound the alarm when a person falls into the water

However, no device can guarantee that drowning will never occur.

1. The life jacket

A lifejacket is probably the best protective device to use to prevent accidental drowning. But how many people do you see wearing them at the beach or in the pools? And even with a life jacket, a person could get stuck on their stomach in the water and drown.

2. Alarms to prevent drowning: the example of the pool and the cell phone

Pool alarms can be very effective as an alert sounds when motion is detected in the water. Drownings take only a few seconds. Pool alarms take at least 20 seconds to go off. Pool owners ignore them or turn them off. Unconsciousness can occur within 2 minutes and brain damage within 5 minutes, so time is of the essence.

On the other hand, wrist alarms connected to the cell phone ring when the wearer enters the water. These devices will not work unless they are worn and children (who are usually the ones who need them) have been known to remove them.

And you, would you place all your trust in these devices?

Knowing how to swim is undoubtedly the best way to prevent drowning
. It is essential to ensure that everyone in your family learns to swim, and that you have done everything possible to eliminate the risk of a drowning death. But this is still not a guarantee.

A person who knows how to swim may pass out in the water, get a drink, be too tired to get to shore, or have a heart attack in the pool.

And because unusual circumstances can quickly overwhelm everyone, from young children to experienced adult swimmers, it is important for everyone to always follow safety rules.

Drowning prevention: safety devices are less effective than learning to swim

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8 tips to avoid drowning and stay safe with your family

To avoid drowning and have a safe family vacation, it is very important to make sure your children are comfortable in the water. So Swim Stars swimming lessons are just what you need!

Where to start? Find our 8 tips to avoid drowning and be safe with your family!

1. To prevent drowning, enroll your children in swimming lessons

What could be more important than trusting the water? Absolutely nothing else. Contrary to what we might think, knowing how to save yourself comes BEFORE knowing how to swim because one does not go without the other naturally.

Indeed, knowing how to save oneself requires the basic ability to perform certain movements that will keep your child safe. This is the case of rolling over on the back, for example, to breathe and call for help. But also of the beating of the feet to reach the edge in full safety and autonomy.

So, like most children between the ages of 4 and 5 who have started courses at 3 years old, They will acquire sufficient mental and physical maturity to learn different swimming techniques such as backstroke first, then front crawl and finally breaststroke. This is the reason why you have to swim all year round.

How to avoid drowning in the summer and stay safe in the water?

2. Do not interrupt the training

Spend time with your child at your home pool learn survival techniques. How to do it? For example, equip yourself with one or two fries and leave the armbands to become a big fish. Also, avoid buoys and mattresses that can be dangerous if you roll over.

For example, have him hold onto the edge of the pool and move like a crab with his little hands, then have him reach under the fry to continue his journey. So your child will have no choice but to put his head under water.

But you can go even further with the hotheads. Place the fry on the water a reasonable distance from the edge and have your child jump into the water so that he or she is under the fry and floating.

3. Learn to swim at any age

Of course. It is always better to learn to swim at an early age because our ability to acquire, store, absorb and master knowledge is much greater than at an adult age. However, knowing how to swim is an essential quality that keeps you and your family safe. That’s why it’s never too late to learn to swim, even if you’re scared! From 7 to 77 years old, prove to your children, grandchildren or friends that you can swim! And that they are safe with you from now on.

4. Respect the color of the swimming flags at the beach to avoid drowning

Swim in supervised areas. It’s always better to be supervised! But this should not make you less vigilant! So, how do you find your way around all these colors? Think about the traffic lights.

Green: swimming allowed | Yellow or orange: swimming allowed but not recommended | Red: swimming forbidden

The criteria for dangerous swimming are related to the weather, especially because of strong winds or storms that can agitate the sea and make swimming dangerous because of the waves and currents.

With or without a flag, our SAFE water safety and drowning prevention program reminds us that a child NEVER swims without a responsible and trusted adult in the water. Nothing can replace your own supervision.

5. Protect yourself from the sun and make sure you stay well hydrated

Water bottle, hat, sunglasses and high protection, in the shade of the parasol or the Decathlon super tent. Health officials recommend reasonable exposure in the morning and a break between noon and 4 p.m., when UV rays are less harmful to your children’s skin and yours.

6. Do not replace the armbands with your own vigilance

Stay by his side in the water to support his efforts, without being distracted by the people around you or even your phone. Because a drowning unfortunately makes no noise, hence the need to always have a field of vision that includes your child.

7. Secure the family pool

Never leave the pool gate open, just as you should never leave toys lying around to tempt children to get dangerously close to the edge. So if there are two of you unloading groceries, one of you delegates this task to go secure the pool and possibly play in the garden.

8. Show your child how to call for help

It’s obvious to us but not to them! Have him lift his face up to wave it in the air and teach him to shout “help” like in
a self-rescue course (report) told by the newspaper parents.fr.

With these Swim Stars tips, you will be able to approach the next big vacation in a climate of confidence… so that swimming will never be a source of annoyance, but only of pleasure and sharing.

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For everyone’s safety:“always bathe at the same time as your children“

Swann, sports coach for the first swim training network Swim Stars, takes the time to answer questions and remind us of an important safety rule for everyone.

Before Swim Stars

I worked at Club Med as a lifeguard, then I stopped to move to Paris. Today, I work in a private pool in Versailles.

During Swim Stars

I came to Molitor to give lessons in the pool of the 5 star hotel. Then I was also a coach at the Villa Saint-Charles to teach Auto-Rescue classes. Finally, I supervised courses in Montparnasse, at the Stanislas College, in a beautiful 25 meter pool.

Safe in the water

It’s fun, but we don’t forget to work! It’s true that I’m a gambler and quite close to the children.

Your favorite sin

I love junk food, candy like the kids, and also baked goods, especially apple pie!

What safety advice would you give to parents?

To avoid drowning: “always swim with your children”.

Thanks for your safety tip Swann! Thanks to you, our little fish will always be safe!

But why is it important to remember this? Because parents can sometimes be lax in their vigilance.

At the approach of the summer, the government had communicated the following message “you hold with them, do not leave them of the eyes”.
France Bleu had listed the good reflexes during the summer 2020
Every year, there are more than 1000 accidental drownings in children under 25 years old.

Every summer, accidental drownings cause about 50 deaths among children under 13 years old. A lack of supervision is noted in one out of two drownings (source: Ministry).

Find more tips with our coach Émilie!

https://blog.swimstars.fr/pedagogie-coach-swim-stars-portrait-emilie/

https://blog.swimstars.fr/coach-apprendre-a-nager/

World Water Safety Day in France!

For World Water Safety Day, our priority is to raise awareness about the risk of drowning. Indeed, the importance of training in the aquatic environment is paramount for safety, especially among the youngest.

Because learning to swim is essential

In France, drowning is the second leading cause of death for children under the age of 4 years. Yet, Knowing how to save yourself and how to swim safely can be learned from a young age and throughout the year. So our duty is to concentrate all our efforts on the public where the risks are the highest. Thus, the best time for this type of awareness is the day before the summer school vacations. Because it is often synonymous with travel and swimming.

Our World Day is about all aquatic environments such as swimming pools, the sea, rivers and lakes. Because danger can be everywhere! It could be the absence of a safety fence around the pool; unfavorable weather conditions for swimming in the sea; or dangerous currents in the river.

To keep everyone safe in the water

The Pat’Patrouille, the big stars of this first edition

So in 2019, Swim Stars, SwimWays and the Pat’ Patrol have pooled their expertise in the service of water safety by offering a day of education and awareness of best practices. Thus, the 1st World Water Safety Day in France was born.

The Pat’ Patrouille adventurers on a mission for water safety! @laviedetatacarine @lalottes

This prevention day took place in all the pools of the Swim Stars network. The Pat’ Patrouille rescue puppies made a surprise arrival at the 4* Oceania hotel-spa in Paris-Porte de Versailles, one of the network’s swimming pools. The goal is to make this moment even more fun and magical for the students and to convey their good water safety tips.

Swim, float, swim, get out of the water

Children were able to take advantage of the hotel’s heated pool for their AUTO-RESCUE® swimming lessons (from age 3) and Apprentissage® swimming lessons (from age 5), given all year round by Swim Stars.

Thus, these sessions were an opportunity to remind the importance of learning swimming and survival reflexes from a very young age. Because it is fundamental to reduce the risk of drowning, which is particularly high in the summer.

The S.A.F.E. Water Safety Prevention Program with our mascot Poulpy!

Under the watchful eye of the Pat’ Patrol, the students were introduced to the

water safety prevention program S.A.F.E.

(Safety, Learning, Training, Environment) program to make them aware of the risks associated with water. And this is Poulpy! Our favorite mascot who teaches us to be safe!

World Water Safety Day: Educational leaders and Poulpy presented the SAFE drowning prevention program to children

Distributed free of charge to schools and children’s associations
It aims to educate families in the right active and passive safety actions. Like not swimming without an adult; knowing how to call for help; assessing the dangers in the environment; learning survival reflexes in case of a fall in the water…

Learn more about the S.A.F.E. prevention program developed by Swim Stars

World Safety Day: find all the safety tips to download

here

SwimWays and Swim Stars will continue to work daily to promote water safety and develop survival skills to make water a great experience for everyone!

World Water Safety Day to raise awareness of the importance of learning to swim and teach water survival skills

First World Water Safety Day in the United States in 2012

In 2012,
USA Swimming Foundation
and


SwimWays


(our event partner) launched “Learn to swim day” in the United States for children and parents. Indeed, the mission is to educate children and parents about water safety and the importance of learning to swim.

Learn more about water safety
here

*Healthy Public France Figures 2018

AUTO-RESCUE®: Femme Actuelle Le Mag recommends 5 tips for safe swimming

AUTO-RESCUE®, Femme actuelle magazine recommends swimming lessons starting at age 3. This is the occasion of an article that gathers the 5 best tips for a safe swimming. In addition, we find a testimony of Joëlle Pulinx Challet, general delegate of the Fédération professionnelle de la Piscine (FPP), who speaks on this subject.

Every year, when the weather is good, there are many cases of children drowning. Therefore, to enjoy swimming in peace and avoid accidents, follow the advice!

Find the 5 tips for safe swimming with the AUTO-RESCUE® courses

1/ Promote children’s autonomy

Specialist Joëlle Pulinx Challet points out, “the earlier children learn to swim, the lower the risk of drowning.” As the newspaper Femme Actuelle writes, the AUTO-RESCUE® program allows children to learn survival reflexes in case of a fall in water. In other words, the course promotes the child’s autonomy and helps prevent the risk of drowning.

“One of the best ways to prevent the risk of drowning is to make children self-sufficient in the pool.”

2/ Redouble your vigilance

Always have a trusted adult supervise your child in the water. Our Swim Stars coaches keep telling our students this every day, just like Swann.

This is also an important tip that our mascot Poulpy gives to school children during our
our drowning prevention (SAFE).
Why? For the drowning is silent. And in the water, a vigilant adult can quickly intervene! Indeed, the awareness of children and parents to the risks of drowning is essential here.

And he is Poulpy, a specialist in drowning prevention (SAFE) who masters the AUTO-RESCUE®.

3/ Multiply the protection systems

A locked gate around the pool to prevent access is required. But this security is not infallible, hence the need to double the protection systems with an alarm. If you have an above ground pool, remove the ladder or block the access steps.

In our drowning prevention program (SAFE)

program, the mascot Poulpy is featured in the first image to talk about safety. Despite the closure, Poulpy breaks through the barrier into the pool and falls into the water. The alarm did not sound but Poulpy is autonomous thanks to
learning the starfish, the safety position. Finally, the best protection is learning the life-saving gestures.

4/ Use the protection systems properly

Protection systems such as automatic covers exist to cover the pool and prevent swimming. The general delegate, Joëlle Pulinx Challet, reminds us that it must be used between each swimming time and not only at the end of the day.

5/ Beware of certain inflatable products

Crocodile mattresses, unicorn buoys and inflatable dolphins allow you to float, but the risk of flipping over is far too dangerous. Like the bouncy ball, any object that is not removed from the pool after swimming becomes a temptation for the child. Most drownings are the result of an accidental

accidental fall into water

Most drownings are the result of an accidental fall into water, usually in private, unsupervised pools.

By adopting good reflexes, accidents can be avoided.

This is what our Poulpy says when he saved his sister from drowning

because she wanted to get the ball in the pool.

Should we be wary of armbands?

Armbands are inflatable objects that allow a child who cannot swim to float in the water. But it never replaces supervision. On the other hand, the safety of the armbands is not infallible because a child can lose one out of two or both by accident. This can be the case after jumping into the water with both arms raised or because they can puncture and deflate.

Do we bring the armbands back to swim class from age 3?

During the SELF-RESCUE® course, children cannot learn to swim with the armbands. We recommend the use of the French fries we provide during our classes, so that our little fish learn to move freely with their arms and legs. The armbands cause the child to be in an upright position, while the fries allow the child to adopt a horizontal position, which is essential for learning.

The AUTO-RESCUE® program teaches children how to get to the poolside easily with simple actions

The complete article is available
by here
and all our other reports are available here!

Drowning: how to be S.A.F.E.?

To prevent swimming hazards, the Swim Stars S.A.F.E. program informs you of simple actions you can take to save lives by avoiding drowning.

In English, the word “SAFE” means to be safe or out of danger. Each letter corresponds to a French word and announces the themes. Indeed, it is the acronym for Safety, Learning, Training and Environment. These 4 themes are the subject of a playful presentation in schools with the mascot Poulpy! It’s a little octopus that schoolchildren must keep safe through the adventures of the cephalopod.

Avoid drowning with our 8 tips to be S.A.F.E

8 anti-drowning tips by S.A.F.E

Drownings: prevention rather than cure!

First of all, it is necessary to make sure of its level of practice. How do I evaluate my swimming level?

Once you are aware of your relationship with water, you can evolve serenely.

So, learning to swim with a lifeguard at a young age will give you all the tools you need to prevent drowning as an adult.

earing to swim with a lifeguard at an early age will give you all the tools you need to prevent drowning as an adult.

When a child is swimming, it is imperative that a trusted adult be in the water at the same time and nearby to supervise the child. Because when the adult is watching out of the water, vigilance can decrease because of many temptations. In fact, consulting the cell phone or taking a nap are the first two causes of a slackening.

The child is moving and may not be in your field of vision. This is where the danger begins.

Prevent swimming accidents such as trauma

For children, as well as adults, always check the depth of the swimming area (pool, lake, river, and sea) before jumping into the water. Indeed, a bad reception can lead to a shock that can endanger your back (compression of the dorsal discs, risk of paralysis) and cause a suspicion of spinal trauma (cervical level).

Drowning: intervention on a suspicion of trauma following a dangerous dive in a swimming area with little depth

Drowning by hydrocution: what simple reflexes should you adopt to preserve your health?

Before each swim, you should enter the water gradually.

Why? Wetting the back of the neck is an essential gesture to prevent the risk of hydrocution. In fact, during hot weather, a thermal shock between the outside temperature, the water temperature and your body temperature can cause a cardiac arrest.

Eating a large meal, drinking alcohol or cold drinks before or during swimming are aggravating risk factors. The risk of discomfort will be increased if the water is cold or after long exposure to the sun. In case of shivering, it is strongly advised not to swim in order to avoid any risk of distress in the water. Otherwise, if you decide to go swimming as a responsible adult, always tell someone close to you first.

Drowning: why choose supervised swimming areas?

Drowning: S.A.F.E. logo for drowning prevention program

Because in the event of a swimming accident, first aid professionals are already on site to provide rapid care.

Find out if the swimming areas are supervised. Very often signs indicate whether the bathing area is supervised or not. If necessary, contact the town hall on which the beach in question is located.

In France, it is forbidden to swim in certain rivers. It is often forbidden to swim there because of the strong currents, as in the Loire for example, and the high pollution. Swimming is rarely supervised in rivers.

• Choose supervised areas for swimming
• Be aware of children even in supervised areas
• Find out about swimming conditions: currents, natural hazards, etc.
• Always follow the safety instructions indicated by the swimming flags and/or the lifeguards.
• If necessary, go to the first aid station to obtain additional information.

Drowning: how to react in case of difficulties in the ocean?

The S.A.F.E. program provides advice on how to react in case of difficulties at sea.

Drownings: Avoiding difficulties at the ocean

Drowning: 5 tips for the right reaction

• Do not panic
• Do not try to fight against the current, the waves and the rollers, so as not to exhaust yourself. Indeed, it is better to let yourself be guided to keep your strength
• Let yourself be carried by the current and use your arms to call for help
• Do the plank in case of fatigue. This allows you to breathe normally
• Try to stay calm until help arrives.

And if one day you witnessed a drowning: what to do?

S.A.F.E. gives you its advice on how to react if you witness a drowning.

Witnessing drownings: our 3 tips

• Notify the lifeguards immediately if the area is supervised. Then call for help by dialing 15 or 112 if it is an unattended area

• Do not take your eyes off the victim in order to guide the rescue team
• Do not intervene directly unless the witness feels able to help without risking his or her own life. Caution: This implies a very good physical condition and very good swimming skills (you must be able to pull the victim in the water). In fact, it is common for people who have tried to help to end up drowning themselves.
  Therefore, do not feel guilty if you have not dived yourself. It is by preventing and alerting that you will save the life of the person in distress.

Drowning: victim rescued during a response exercise.

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Drowning Prevention: S.A.F.E. Water Safety Program Available to Schools

We work to ensure that all children are safe in the water. As such, we have created a FREE prevention program that aims to reduce the number of drownings and raise awareness in schools. How do you do it? With water safety tips.

Drowning prevention: why water safety is essential

“Water safety is about learning good practices and survival reflexes” explains Olivier, founder of the Swim Stars swimming school

So when your kids are preschoolers, chances are they’ve had a visit from a firefighter to learn about fire safety, right? To ensure that your children are exposed to the same type ofwater safety education, Swim Stars has developed a FREE education program that focuses on tips for staying safe in and around the water.

Indeed, this program named S.A.F.E. for Safety, Learning, Training, Environment is intended for children aged 3 to 7 years.

” We want to deploy S.A.F.E. to make water safety a priority,” explains Olivier Chazot, founder of Swim Stars. ” Because we think it’s a good way to make as many children and parents as possible aware of the risks of drowning and the simple solutions to avoid them. ”

I am S.A.F.E. and therefore I am safe!

Our instructors teach children the importance of safety in and around the water. Indeed, danger can come from anywhere.

Our coaches also use these same techniques to teach lifesaving and safe swimming skills during weekly swim lessons at the Swim Stars network pools.

Because water is everywhere: at the pool, at the beach, near a river – and even at home while bathing. ” It’s a problem that all children will have to face in their lifetime, whether they go to the lake or the pool with their parents,” says Olivier. ” Everyone has to deal with water at some point. This is especially true for young people, where the risks are high. ”

Anti-drowning prevention: 4 main areas of active and passive water safety

Organized in a playful and educational way, the S.A.F.E. presentation features its mascot POULPY :

Drowning: Poulpy presented the SAFE drowning prevention program to children – auto-rescue

Security

Know the rules

Learning

Learn life-saving techniques

Training

Knowing how to call for help

Environment

Understanding nature

The S.A.F.E. booklet and other surprises are given to the students to initiate the dialogue at home.

But I can already take advantage of it to discover

the 7 tips to avoid drowning

with the blog le bassins des tout-petits !

Ask us to come and present S.A.F.E.!

• S.A.F.E., the water safety prevention program
• For students 3 to 7 years old
• Duration: 20 minutes
• Cost: free

Contact Swim Stars to arrange a presentation:

hello@swimstars.fr or 09 86 87 89 29

I book a swimming lesson!

Find out more about Swim Stars, the 1st network for learning to swim

-es-swimstars.pf20.wpserveur.netm

Poulpy’s Drowning Prevention: Learn about water safety with games and coloring pages!

To find out more about the solutions and behaviours to adopt to reduce the number of drownings and swimming-related accidents:

https://blog.swimstars.fr/prevention-risques-contre-accidents-noyades/