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Light Rain Drownings prompt safety awareness campaigns
Recent drowning deaths on Long Island, including one in the ocean along the shore of Long Beach and another in a Lawrence pool, have prompted local officials to alert residents about water safety guidelines and codes.
A 12-year-old student from a Harlem secondary school was a drowning victim during a class trip to Long Beach on June 22. Despite signs indicating that no lifeguards were on duty — Long Beach began full patrol last weekend — the victim and some of her classmates went into the water anyway, city officials said. Despite a massive search by a team of rescuers, the girl, Nicole Suriel, could not be revived.
In Lawrence, on June 24, a 5-year-old child alerted a house painter that his nanny and 3-year-old sister were floating in the pool, police said. The painter pulled them out of the pool and attempted to revive them, police said, but the toddler did not survive. Detectives said they believe the nanny lost her footing as she drifted into the deep end of the pool while holding the toddler.
Later that same week, there were scares in Long Beach and Lynbrook. Last Friday, Long Beach city officials reported three rescues of swimmers in distress. And according to Lynbrook police, a child who was left unattended nearly drowned at the Lynbrook village pool in Greis Park last Friday afternoon.
Hempstead Town Supervisor Kate Murray hosted two water safety-related events last week. On June 21, two days before the Lawrence incident, Murray held a pool safety event at Veterans Memorial Park in East Meadow. There she emphasized a town law, passed in 2008, that mandates pool owners to install alarms. She demonstrated how an alarm sounds when someone enters the pool.
“A pool without an alarm is an invitation for disaster,” Murray said. “This law is helping to save countless young lives.”
The campaign is also being used to promote swimming lessons given at pools throughout the town. Murray also unveiled a new public service announcement that will air on town cable providers. The campaign, in partnership with Cablevision and King Kullen, also includes a pool safety guide that will be mailed to all residents. Some of the tips included in the guide are:
- Never leave a child alone or out of sight at a pool.
- If a child is missing, check the pool first.
- Secure or remove steps on above-ground pools when not in use.
- Never use a pool with a broken or missing drain cover.
- Keep emergency rescue equipment and emergency phone numbers by the pool.
- A rope float line should be placed across the pool, alerting swimmers to the separation of the deep end from the shallow end.
- All pools must be permitted by the local town/jurisdiction, and are required to have physical barriers surrounding them. (Many other safety restrictions also apply.)
For more information on how to obtain a pool permit and the requirements, call the Hempstead Town Building Department at (516) 538-8500.
In addition to providing similar safety tips, the Nassau County Police Department released a pamphlet that mentions drain entrapment — when part of a child’s body gets stuck to a drain because of the filtration system’s powerful suction. Though a federal act mandates certain anti-entrapment standards, the police said it is crucial for children to know not to play near a pool drain and to prevent hair or loose clothing and jewelry from getting stuck.
At the beach, town lifeguards demonstrated how to survive when caught in a rip current. They explained that these currents are too strong for even strong swimmers to swim directly back to shore. The compared the current to a treadmill that can’t be turned off. Instead, they said, swim parallel to the shoreline until out of the current and then go to the shore.
Other tips include:
- Know how to swim, and never swim alone.
- Remain calm to conserve energy and think clearly.
- Never fight against the current.
- Swim out of the current parallel to the shoreline. When out of the current, swim at an angle — away from the current — toward the shore.
- If you are unable to swim out of the rip current, float or calmly tread water. Then, when out of the current, swim toward the shore.
- If you are still unable to reach shore, waving your and yell for help.
For people who see someone in distress, there are guidelines to ensure that you don’t also become a victim. First, alert a lifeguard. If there are none, call 911. Throw the victim something that floats — it could be a lifejacket or even a cooler or inflatable ball. Yell instructions on how to escape the current.
More simply, Murray stressed that people should always swim near a lifeguard and not go in the water when the area is not supervised. “Our lifeguards are trained to deal with the rip currents,” Murray said. “If there is no lifeguard, do not go in the water.”
