Commissioner issues water safety tips

In the wake of two drownings and two near-drownings of toddlers recently, State of New Jersey Human Services Commissioner Gwendolyn L. Harris held an emergency press conference to bring public attention to the issue of child drownings, and urged parents and caregivers to be vigilant when children are near water.

So far in 2003, six young children have drowned in New Jersey — three in swimming pools or lakes, two drowned in buckets, and one in a bathtub. All happened within minutes of the parent or adult supervisors looking away or leaving the area. Most children who drowned in pools had been out of sight for less than five minutes and had last been seen in the home or out of the water.

Harris issued the following water safety tips for recreational swimming:

• Never leave a child alone around water, not even for a minute.

• Always have an adult or responsible older teenage child supervising young swimmers.

• Never use substitutes for supervision — flotation devices and inflatable toys are not a substitute for supervision.

• Teach children to swim at an early age.

• Obey all posted or verbal rules, warning signs and other safety signs.

• Don’t mix alcohol and supervision of children near water.

• Always drain and store in an upright position all plastic or inflatable wading pools after each use.

• Enclose pool completely with a self-locking, self-closing fence with vertical bars, and do not leave furniture around that children can use to climb over the fence.

• Be sure to remove pool covers completely, reducing risk of children getting caught underneath.

Dr. Anthony D’Urso, psychologist and chair of the New Jersey Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board, also emphasized household safety around water:

• Never leave a child alone in a bathroom — the two main danger areas for infant drownings are bathtubs and household buckets. Also, put rubber skid-proof mats in the bathtub so babies do not slip under the bath water, and do not have the tub water more than three or four inches deep. Do not trust younger children to watch a baby or toddler in the tub while running to answer the phone — an infant can drown in 1/2 inch of water.

• Keep the bathroom door locked so curious toddlers cannot wander into that dangerous room while the parent is busy doing dishes or watching TV in another room.

For more information, call Joe Delmar or Lavonne Johnson at (609) 292-3703. Resources are also posted on the Human Services Web site, www.state.nj.us/humanservices.