YMCA issues safety warning ahead of busy holiday weekend for swimming

NBC Universal, Inc.

We are just days away from Memorial Day, which ushers in the unofficial start to swimming season.

Many families across North Texas have plans to visit pools and lakes this weekend.

That's why the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas and Children’s Health wants to remind parents of the importance of "Water Watching" – especially around young children.

They say adult supervision is key and recommend that families assign a trusted adult to rotate "water watching" shifts with. This person keeps an active eye on those in the water without distractions such as phone calls or side conversations to ensure children are constantly being monitored.

"I think another thing that parents don't realize is that drowning is completely silent,” said Jennifer Pewitt, Associate Vice President of Aquatics at the YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas, in a recent interview. “So you have this idea in parenthood, that you're going to hear your child if they need you. And that's true if you are at a playground, right? You're going to hear the crash or the fall or the cry. But when a child slips below the surface of the water, its totally silent."

Lakes can also be an especially dangerous place for children, especially during busy holiday weekends. In many drowning deaths at open water like lakes, first responders have said most of the victims were found to have not been wearing a life jacket.

"Anytime you are around brown water with your kids – if you can't see through the bottom of the water, your child should be in a coast-guard approved life jacket, regardless of their swimming ability,” said Pewitt. “That goes even for my own children, who are competitive swimmers, they swim much better than me at this point in their life, and if they are at the lake or on a boat they absolutely have on coast guard-approved life jacket."

Visibility is poor at most North Texas lakes, which can make it difficult to know if anyone has slipped below the surface.

“If something happens and they slip below the surface if it was a medical event or they somehow became unconscious or they got a cramp -- you absolutely are not going to find them,” said Pewitt.

SWIMMING LESSONS SAVE LIVES

The Y is encouraging parents to enroll their children in swimming classes at an early age to help them learn basic life-saving skills such as learning how to float on their backs.

According to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, 17 children have drowned this year. Just one drowning death is already too many, said David Aguilar, a senior injury prevention coordinator for Children's Health.

"Drowning is very silent and it's quick. It takes 10 seconds for a child to go under, to submerge,” he said. “Parents think that just because they're around the area that they can actually hear them. But that's not necessarily true. So we ask parents to keep an active vision on their kids while they're in pool or around bodies of water."

The CDC says drowning is the number one cause of death for children ages 1 to 4. Last year, 87 children drowned in Texas alone.

Swimming lessons can change these statistics. The CDC says swimming lessons can reduce a child's risk of drowning by 88%.

"When a child takes formal swimming lessons, they learn a few basic skills that really help them become infinitely safer around water. So the first is we teach them to comfortably and happily go underwater and hold their breath. That enables them to open their eyes,” said Pewitt. “Know that drowning happens just a few feet from the wall. So once they are able to do that skill, we teach them to open their eyes and turn around and grab the wall and pull themselves out."

Click here to learn more about swim lessons offered by the local YMCA.

This Memorial Day weekend, most YMCA Metro Dallas locations will be offering an opportunity to help families access life-saving resources.

On Saturday, May 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (times may vary per locations), the organization is offering free swim skills assessment and learning session at select pools throughout North Texas.

Click here to find a location and fill out a quick form to get your child registered.

Another tip: Families who have home pools should also invest in proper fencing and have a life preserver on hand. Click here for more tips.

The Y says talking to your child about asking for permission to enter any body of water is also important. These tips are

Click here to learn more about the YMCA's Safety Around Water program.