Following a season of chilly temperatures, parents and kids alike are ready for Spring Break! Dreams of sunny vacations and trips to amusement parks finally become reality but, for many, knowledge of swimming safety has sunk thanks to a long off season.

According to research by the United States Swim School Association, teens (age 13-18) accounted for 27% of the 511 media reported drowning incidents that occurred between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2014. Our own community has experienced its share of serious and/or fatal boating and water accidents from actions that were intended to be playful but were, in fact, reckless. You may assume that your child or teen will be cautious, but consider proactively talking (and even practicing) water safety with the entire family before heading to the beach, pool, or any body of water. Here are some Spring Break water safety tips courtesy of Sue Mackie, Executive Director of United States Swim School Association:

• Create a verbal cue that must be given by an adult before children can enter the water.
• Select a parent to be the designated “water watcher.” This adult should not drink alcohol while children are in or near the water.
• Always go with children to the hotel pool and do not let them swim unsupervised. Just because you are on vacation does not mean you are on vacation from being a responsible parent! Lounging in the adult pool while your kids swim alone could be an accident waiting to happen.
• Do not use water wings or pool floats as a substitution for supervision.
• Take time to familiarize your children with the pool, i.e. where the shallow/deep ends are, location of stairs, and where they can/cannot swim.
• Do not solely rely on lifeguards to monitor your children. It might take a new guard time to notice an unsafe situation and, therefore, demand your readiness if your child needs help.
• Before allowing children to wade in the ocean, explain that they need to constantly watch for waves and other potential dangers.
• If cousins, friends, or loved ones are swimming together, gather the adults of your extended group to create an agreed upon set of rules before the kids are allowed into the water.
• Continue conversations with teenagers about drug and alcohol abstinence, especially during peer pressure times like Spring Break, to avoid water-related and other dangers.
• If you have a pool at home, be sure to take precautions before traveling. Secure fences, gates, door locks, and covers so an accident does not occur while you are away.

Now that our OFM public service announcement is done, we do hope that you (safely) enjoy Spring Break!