Prepare Your Kids to Stay Afloat

“When that summer sun starts beatin' down
And you don't know what to do
Grab your swimming trunks
Ice up that old igloo
Drive until the map turns blue”

-Brad Paisley

As an avid fan of live music, I always strive to learn the words to new songs before I see my favorite artists perform. Brad Paisley stops by Chicago in August and I will be especially proud to sing every line of his new single, “Water.”

While listening to my favorite country artist croon about fun times near the water, I think about the great memories I have of spending hours at the local pool with childhood friends. Even though I have grown out of my floaties, I still enjoy swimming now. Just like Brad’s song, “Water,” when the “summer sun starts beatin’ down” I have been “driv[ing] until the map turns blue” to get to the pool or beach during warm summer days. At the beach this summer I have seen a lot of close calls where lifeguards stepped in at just the right moment to prevent accidents, so I reached out to a good friend to learn about how to stay safe in and around water.

Barbara Nichols became Red Cross Certified in lifeguarding in 2005 because, as a child, she admired her cousins for working hard to protect patrons at the aquatic center in her hometown. She is currently head lifeguard at her local pool, a position that she has held for 5 years. In her years of service, she has seen firsthand that children who are introduced to swimming by their parents are more open to taking swimming lessons and are less afraid of the water.

Barbara says that the most important thing parents can do is be proactive about their children’s safety. She recommends that parents “take safety precautions and follow facility rules” to set a good example for their kids.

Barbara stresses that “it’s important to just enter the water safely and stay in areas where you are comfortable swimming.”

Make your own memories this summer by enjoying warm weather swimming and aquatic activities with just a few helpful hints in mind from an experienced lifeguard.

Barbara and the Red Cross offer a few extra tips to make the most out of your time in the water:

• Use and reapply sunscreen liberally.
• Stay hydrated by drinking lots of water.
• Cover all cuts and scrapes properly before entering the water.
• Avoid alcohol consumption as it impairs judgment, balance and coordination, and affects swimming and diving skills.
• If you go boating, wear a life jacket! Most boating fatalities occur from drowning.
• Always swim with a buddy; do not allow anyone to swim alone. Even at a public pool or a lifeguarded beach, use the buddy system!
• Never leave a young child unattended near water and do not trust a child’s life to another child; teach children to always ask permission to go near water.

The best way to prevent disaster in the water is to learn how to swim. Enroll in age-appropriate Red Cross Learn-to-Swim courses. Young children or inexperienced swimmers should wear a U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jacket around water. Lifejackets are one type of Personal Floatation Devices (PFD) and can vary depending on weight and size. Further instructions about the proper use of PFD’s can be found here.

If you are interested in learning more about water safety and lifesaving like Barbara, Lifeguarding courses and Red Cross Certification programs are offered at local aquatic facilities.
To find courses contact your local Red Cross Chapter.

Be Red Cross Ready.

Written by Blair Janis

shark week safety

www.nataliedee.com

Here we are in the middle of Shark Week and I think this is an excellent opportunity to brush up on water safety. While we don't have to worry too much about a shark attack in Lake Michigan, there was a time when a shark attack was a realistic threat in the Illinois stretch of the Mississippi river. In 1937, a freshwater-loving bull shark was caught by commercial fisherman in Alton, Illinois. Since then, dams have prevented bull sharks from entering Illinois.

What if the unthinkable happens and the dams break or bull sharks decide to take up residency in Lake Michigan? Or, on a more realistic note, what if you are planning a summer trip to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where Great White sharks have recently been spotted? If faced with a shark, would you know what to do?

Here is a (fictional) scenario one girl found herself in - unknowingly provoking a shark attack:

- Emily's boyfriend just gave her a shiny new engagement ring and she swore she'd never remove it from her finger. While celebrating her new engagement with a day in the sun, sand and surf (using the proper sun block of course), she decides to take a dip in the ocean to cool off. On her way to the water, she cuts her toe on broken glass. Instead of using the First Aid knowledge she learned in her Red Cross class to tend to her wound, she decides that she will go rinse off her foot in the water. As she wades in the water, she sees fishermen off in the distance. Jumping up and down to wave hello, she creates splashing in the water, sends the blood from her toe through the water current and flails her shiny new ring around - causing it to reflect throughout the water. Next thing you know...Wham! Shark attack!

A few Red Cross tips could have kept Emily from becoming shark bait:

-Swimmers should not wear shiny jewelry and avoid bright colors which sharks may confuse with fish scales and colorings.

-Do not swim in open fishing grounds and exit the water immediately if something happens that causes you to bleed as sharks can be attracted to the smell of blood from a distance.

-Always swim in groups, do not swim too far from the shore and avoid the water during the times of day when sharks are most active – at dawn, dusk and during the night.

-In general, everyone should learn first aid and CPR/AED skills to know how to respond to an emergency.

-This is a scary incident for the victim and community, and although shark attacks rank low in terms of water-related risk, it is still important that people take precautions when participating in recreation on or around the ocean.

While a shark attack is a very uncommon event, it is a good thing to be prepared. Chicagoland residents are lucky to not have to worry so much about sharks. However, we do need to know how to stay safe from everyday threats in rivers, lakes, streams and swimming pools. Any body of water can present dangerous conditions and everybody should be prepared on how to stay safe in them.

American Red Cross of Greater Chicago Wishes You a Safe and Happy Fourth of July!

Fourth of July is my favorite Holiday. It is a time where I get together with friends and family to spend hours in the sun, swimming, grilling, relaxing and watching fireworks. To me nothing could be better.

A few years back I had some friends who decided to light bottle rockets off in an alley near our house. Simple and seemingly harmless. However, as the night progressed, these same friends began to entertain themselves by lighting off multiple bottle rockets at a time. I wanted no part of it, but I let them be because they seemed to be having fun.

It was no more than minutes later that a friend of mine walked into the house with his entire hand bleeding. He was not being safe, and the bottle exploded in his hand, cutting his entire hand open, and needless to say ruining his 4th of July fun. We were having a blast until this simple act of carelessness, put fear into all of us.

Now, I know you may not believe that this will happen to you, or maybe that this story was not that bad. But I am left wondering if he wasn’t hurt then, would things of escalated? Things like this happen all of the time, and it is important to remember that despite the hours of relaxation and fun you are having you must first watch out for your safety and the safety of those around you.

As you travel to lake houses, vacations, to visit friends or family or stay home, be careful not just with fireworks, but with all activities. Whether grilling, swimming, or other activities you do, practice safe actions. I am not here to lecture, nor do I want to put a damper in your mood before this great, and to me the best, holiday weekend, but I do encourage a little safety. Don’t let not being prepared ruin your weekend.

That is why I am offering these safety tips, encouraging you to have fun, but be safe. American Red Cross even has tips and kits to provide you with all your Preparedness needs.

Have a great weekend and an amazing Fourth of July!

~Megan~

Photo courtesy of Merrick Brown