Checkup Newsroom

Loaner Life Jacket Stations Aim to Save Lives at Area Lakes

Thu, 01 Jul 2021 09:19:25 -0500

With the summer heat rising in Texas, many families are making their way to area lakes to cool off. And if they don’t already have a life jacket -- a new Lifeguard Your Child initiative aims to make sure they are protected in and around the water.

The Center for Children’s Health (C4CH), led by Cook Children’s, installed its first loaner life jacket station in the spring of 2020. The stations provide five different sizes of U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets, ranging from infant to adult, that can be borrowed and returned. The goal is to make sure no child or adult drowns at a public lake because they didn’t have access to a life jacket.

“Texas has a lot of lakes and having a loaner station at entry points is a great reminder for families,” said Amy Johnson, program coordinator for the Center for Children’s Health. “The signage on the station not only explains how it works but also how to properly fit a life jacket.”

Sadly, the number of drowning patients seen at Cook Children’s this month has already surpassed the number of patients seen in the same time period of 2020. So far, 35 children have been admitted to Cook Children’s for drowning, with two deaths. Three of the drownings occurred at area lakes.

The loaner life jacket program has 12 stations at lakes across DFW, including:

Cleburne
Alvarado
Flower Mound
Grapevine
Weatherford
Lewisville

The stations are constructed by Lifeguard Your Child partner and Texas-based construction firm, Linbeck. C4CH plans to extend the stations to pools in neighborhoods and communities soon.

Cleburne resident Robin Kiel has lived across the street from Lake Pat Cleburne for more than 30 years. As a former pediatric intensive care (PICU) nurse, she has seen her fair share of drownings and fatalities.

Recently, the two new loaner life jacket stations at the lake caught her attention.

“I saw something out of the corner of my eye one day and went to check it out,” Kiel said. “Once I realized it was a loaner life jacket station from Cook Children’s, all I could think about was how many lives could be saved.”

Kiel and her family have seen several tragedies while living directly across from the lake. She recalls instances over the years when helicopters have landed in her yard to transport a child to the emergency room, or emergency personnel rushing past her house to save someone’s life. Kiel says these moments are hard to watch, but what’s even worse is watching the number of children who enter the lake without a life jacket.

“During my time as a nurse, I’ve seen tragedy after tragedy,” Robin explained. “The hardest part was the water fatalities that could have been avoided. There's a lot of children that swim without life jackets and it's dangerous in a lake. You can't see the bottom if they were to fall or get swept away. You can't find them once they're under the water.”

Kiel says with school out and summer in full swing, she expects to see thousands of people at the lake on the weekends and she is hopeful people will take advantage of the loaner life jacket stations.

“I think it's just really important to remind people that if you don't have a Coast Guard approved life jacket, there are some that are loaned here in two different places on our lake and they can just borrow them and put them back when they're finished for someone else.”

Tara Janszen is Kiel’s daughter and the president of the Cleburne Chamber of Commerce. She says she’s also thankful for the additional safety measure at the lake.

“The collaboration between Cook Children’s, Cleburne Fire Department, and the Cleburne Parks and Recreation department is something that will benefit our residents and visitors who come to Lake Pat Cleburne,” Janszen said.

Lake Pat Cleburne is also home to holiday celebrations, and more. Tara says the city is happy to have their Independence Day celebration back at the lake this year, and she is hopeful having the life jackets will be an added safety measure for families.

“We have thousands of people that come out to enjoy the lake for the day. We shoot fireworks off the dam that evening,” Janszen said. “We want people to have fun, but first and foremost, we want people to be safe. I think this new opportunity for kids to be able to loan or borrow a life jacket, and for families to utilize this program is going to make our event just even better this year.”

Johnson shares the same feelings. She wants people to get out and have a good time, without any tragedies. Thus far, the stations have been well-received at all six lakes.

“Our community partners and families are excited about having the stations and how easy they are to manage,” Johnson explained. “The feedback from lake-goers has been amazing, and they are using the life jackets, which is the goal.”

Kiel says she enjoys walking out of her front door and seeing neighbors and visitors enjoying the lake, and she is hopeful this summer will conclude with every family making it back home safely.

“I think the life jackets can help save lives,” Kiel said. “Drowning happens so quickly, and it’s such a tragedy for families. I think it could save a lot of children's lives and I believe that’s the goal for Cook Children’s and the City of Cleburne.”

Johnson understands families are excited to get together for the summer, but safety has to be the top priority for everyone to have a good time.

“We know everyone is eager to enjoy the summer, but along with that we know there are a lot of potential distractions,” Kiel expressed. “We want families to remember to have an emergency plan in place, always designate a pool and lake ‘water watcher’ for safety, and to remember to keep a child’s life jacket on until they are safely away from the water’s edge.”

Important to note:

If you live in a community with a lake or pool that could benefit from a loner life jacket station, send an email to Safe.kids@cookchildrens.org. To learn more about the loaner life jacket program and other safety measures, visit lifeguardyourchild.com

Drowning prevention - 9 ways to protect your kids

Wed, 22 Jul 2015 11:48:30 -0500

Protect your kids.

That was the overall message from Fort Worth, Texas Mayor Betsy Price and representatives from the city of Fort Worth, including Cook Children's, at a press conference to address city-wide support of drowning prevention measures.

Mayor Price said that the message of the day was that tragedy in the water only takes seconds and that drowning is a silent killer. "Children drown without a sound," she said.

The press conference called for awareness and a city-wide call-to-action to protect our children through education, prevention and response. Along with the Mayor and Cook Children's, representatives from the Fort Worth Drowning Prevention Coalition, the Fort Worth YMCA, the Fort Worth Firefighter Charities, the Fort Worth Fire Department and MedStar were all in attendance.

The event included a poignant speech from Denise Doherty, an RN and director of Emergency Services at Cook Children's. Doherty said her staff is "drained and heart broken" from the number of children and patients affected by this "very preventable tragedy."

In the past two months, Cook Children's has seen nearly a child a day for drownings. The month of July began with two drowning deaths and Cook Children's Trauma Department seeing 19 total drownings from July 1 to July 22, compared to 11 drownings and two fatalities last year for the entire month of July. June saw more than double the amount of non-fatal drownings from a year ago with 26.

Parents have been urged to watch their kids. Now the message has a new sense of urgency - you must protect your children.

"We've seen more than enough children die this year," Doherty said. "It has to stop. Can you imagine being a parent, sitting in the ED waiting room, praying that the life of someone you love so dearly is spared, especially since it was something that didn't have to happen? No parent wants to be saddled with that guilt. I think it's also appropriate for me to say that no one is immune, and yes, it can happen to you. Cook Children's has witnessed this in a very intimate way, even our own medical community has experienced this heartbreak."

Doherty added," Today, we're making a plea. It's not only time to watch your kids near the water, but it's time to protect them."

So what does it mean to truly protect your kids? Help us spread the word with these tips:

1. Get in the water. Be in arms reach of your child. Don't let your child out of your sight and be there to grab your children out of the water at any sign of trouble.

2. 100 percent adult supervision at all times. Be active in the pool with the children or watch like a lifeguard. Don't take your eyes off of your child. If you aren't in the water, be sure to watch your kids at all times. Don't spend time on your smartphone, talking to friends or walking away for even a moment. Do have a phone nearby in case of an emergency. But that's the only time anyone should be using one.

3. Watch them until they are safe and inside. Monitoring your kids includes accounting for everyone who had been in the water all the way to the house or apartment. Once you are inside, count again and make sure all the kids are safe and inside.

4. Be a water watcher. If you are at a party with a group of children, take 15-minute shifts watching the kids. Count heads above water and look for any that are motionless on the bottom of the pool. Give your undivided while you are the water watcher. Stay sober and be alert. You can't have a more important responsibility.

5. Life jackets. Not just any flotation device will do. Make sure your life jacket is U.S. Coast Guard approved. Check the tag to say so.

6. Swim lessons. Mom and dad, you need to know how to swim. If you don't know, take lessons with your child. Make sure your child knows how to swim too. If they are in the pool, they need to know how to get to safety. But this is only a layer of protection and doesn't take away from the fact that you need to be in arm's reach.

7. Know CPR. Local CPR lessons are given in your area. A quick Google search should help you find a class.

8. Use pool and child alarms to alert you if your child gets in the water without you.

9. Isolate your pool from the rest of your backyard with a permanent, four-sided fence with self-latching gates to prevent kids from accessing the pool area without an adult.

Previous articles on this topic:

For more information

Learn more about drowning prevention and water safety here. This page gives helpful information on keeping your kids safe during swim season, including proper fit for life jackets, pool safety videos and fences/alarms information.

Be a water watcher. Adult supervision at pool helps save lives

Thu, 02 Jul 2015 08:23:55 -0500

July began with two fatal drowning. For the month of June 2015, the Cook Children’s Trauma department cared for 26 non-fatal drowning victims, with 20 of those occurring in either a home, apartment or community pool. That's more than double from the same time a year ago.

Since Oct. 1, 2014 to present, 40 drownings have been seen here and three of them have been fatal.

Those numbers are chilling and once again place an emphasis on water safety in the area.

Dana Walraven, community health outreach manager for Cook Children’s, wants to make sure that parents are prepared for warm weather and children in the water. She said the safety begins with making sure a grownup is watching the kids in the water at all times.

“Active adult supervision and layers of protection such as door alarms and a fence can lower the risk for your child,” Walraven said. “The majority of these water-related incidents happen in the child’s own backyard pools and to children 4 years old and younger. Drowning prevention around the pool starts with adult supervision.”

Children are protected by layers of protection by using these safety techniques whenever children are around the pool:

· Always have adult supervision present when children are swimming or around pools.

· A fence with a locking gate should surround the pool.

· Install door alarms to alert adults when a child is entering the pool area.

· Require life jacket use for non-swimmers.

· Enroll children in swimming lessons.

· Parents and caregivers should undergo CPR training.

In nearly nine out of 10 child drowning –related deaths, the parent or caregiver said the child had been with them in the house or pool within five minutes of the accident. Walraven says she knows it is difficult to supervise children 100 percent of the time. She said the levels of protection provide barriers in case the child should slip out of supervision.

Safe Kids Tarrant County, led by Cook Children’s, also offers Water Watcher tags to anyone or group who will use or distribute them. These are especially helpful at parties around the pool or lake to help designate adults that are watching the water. After 15 minutes, the tag is given to another responsible adult – letting everyone enjoy the party while ensuring that the kids are being properly watched. To receive a Water Watcher Tag, call 682-885-4244.

In large pools, it’s ideal to split up in groups and take sections of the pool.

“If you are somewhere where children are in the pool, insist that an adult be on watch,” Walraven said. “It should be done by a sober adult and that should be his or her only focus during their time watching the kids.”

Aside from supervision, four-sided isolation fencing with self-closing/self-latching gates is the best protection for your child and pets. It could prevent 50-90 percent of childhood drowning and near-drowning incidents. This type of fencing goes beyond the yard, to fencing in the pool itself, preventing direct access from the house.

Door and gate alarms give another signal that a child may have access to the pool area without supervision. The tendency is to disconnect it – especially at parties where people are going in and out. But these are also the times when small children are the most vulnerable for injury because of the confusion.

Learning CPR can save a child’s life by restoring breathing and circulation until advance life support can be given by health care providers.

Swim programs for children should teach good water safety behaviors in and around the pool but should not be seen as the sole way to decrease the risk of drowning.

Use a U.S. Coast Guard approved lifejacket with children who can’t swim. It should fit snugly when the child is buckled in and should not go beyond the top of the ears when lifted at the shoulders. Many air-filled, float-type toys are thought to be lifesavers but are not.

Check your pool and spa for cracked or broken drain covers on a regular basis. The suction around the drain can catch hair or clothing, pinning the child underwater. Anti-entrapment drain covers are available for as low as $40 and serve as another level of protection.

Since beach balls, noodles and other toys are attractive to curious young children – put them away when not at the pool.

For more information

Cook Children's has many resources on drowning prevention, beginning here. Click the links below with downloadable information in both Spanish and English, as well as videos.

Drowning prevention tips - English
Drowning prevention tips - Spanish
Water safety resources
Drowning prevention education (English and Spanish)

Videos: