What the hell is going on this summer - many many drownings in my area

Not sure if this is the right forum for this...if not, MODs please feel free to relocate. Thx.

Good morning ATSers,

I don't think I am the only one noticing this but this summer alone since end May, there has been 44 children that drowned in the province of Quebec (Canada) including 3 in my area just yesterday!!!! A Few in lakes / Rivers but most in pools.....This is more than the entire Summer last year!!

This is unacceptable!! People need to wake up and be preventive. I phoned my the city to complain about my neighbor that has an unfenced pool (illegal and elligible for $1000 fine) and i was told that my query would be treated as an emergency because of all that had been going on this years. WELL!!!!! that was a week and a half ago and still nothing. Are they gonna wait until another kid dies?!?! I will be following up today!

Am I the only one who is fed up with this kinda situation??

PLEASE parents and people everywhere.....Ensure that your pools are secured and LOCKED to prevent further accidents!!! OH AND KEEP AN EYE ON YOUR KIDS!!!!! I see so many 3-5 year olds walking aroung the streets ALONE!!

Even if is not mandatory in your area and I am aware of the price for fencing (cost me $1200). This is a small price to pay to save lives.

Good bless all!!

Teye22

Well, I cannot imagine the specific situation in Quebec but if it were here in my region (mid-Atlantic), I'd speculate:
The record-breaking heat wave encouraged more swimming than previously, including kids swimming in any available body of water - even if adult supervision or even a swimming buddy were unavailable.
Budget cuts to various municipal programs, including those that provided a life guard to pools and lakes.

wow like kids cant/don't climb fences.so you lap up all these nanny state laws and want more.watch out that the over zealous compliance attendant doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night!be careful what you wish for.

Well. You never know.
Think of it like this. What possible variable could account for the increase in drownings? Obviously the heat is one of them. More people swimming this year because of the heat.

Or you could be dealing with some sort of serial killer if some of these kids drowning in peculiar circumstances.

reply to post by Shoonra


I see your point and agree... This is also what the local media says...record heat, earlier summer....it does explain why the numbers have reached/passed last years but I still think that parents must be vigilant and be preventive.

I am aware that some are prurely accidental but most could be avoided.

In one case, A woman left her daughter unattended for ONLY 2 MINUTES to aanswer the phone ....she had an in ground pool and the door was left openned....the little girl fell in and drowned......Negligence? I think so!

Originally posted by glen200376
wow like kids cant/don't climb fences.so you lap up all these nanny state laws and want more.watch out that the over zealous compliance attendant doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night!be careful what you wish for.

Of course kids can climb fences....But at the age when they can hop a 4' fence, they should know better. I don't see how fencing a pool is a NANNY state law..and did I say I wanted more laws...no!! just the existing ones being enforced for security reasons..Of course I am not aware of laws and bylaws in every country/state/province. And in my area this is not a new law. I just wanted to raise awareness.

Oh and what did I wish for that I should be carefull of?? Prevention!! oh yeah bring that on!!!!

Thanks for the reply!

Teye22

Originally posted by AzureSky
Well. You never know.
Think of it like this. What possible variable could account for the increase in drownings? Obviously the heat is one of them. More people swimming this year because of the heat.

Or you could be dealing with some sort of serial killer if some of these kids drowning in peculiar circumstances.

Of course the extreme heat is the main contributor to increase in swimming thus leading to more people to watch on beaches and public pools but this is not where the problem is. What I was aiming at was mostly are the pools that are easily accessible for children. Obviously a 15 year old would have a smaller chance of drowing in a pool than a child of say 2-3 years old. This is why I put emphasis on LOCKED fences that would keep the younger kids safe from the water. If the teenager can hop the fence, there is not a whole lot anyone can do about it...but I think I can safely say the younger kids would not be able to climb a 4' or 5' fence

Serial Killer... Thats a good one!! almost spit out my coffee!!!

Thanks for the input.

Teye22

reply to post by Teye22


The main question is not what pools are unfenced and unprotected, the main question is where are the parents when their children are dying by drowning you just don't dump you children in the neighborhood for somebody in the street to babysit them, neither dump them in the community pools to be babysit by the lifeguards.

This is not the fault of the unattended pool in the neighbor next door but the irresponsible parents that have not clue what their children are doing around.

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by Teye22

 

The main question is not what pools are unfenced and unprotected, the main question is where are the parents when their children are dying by drowning you just don't dump you children in the neighborhood for somebody in the street to babysit them, neither dump them in the community pools to be babysit by the lifeguards.

This is not the fault of the unattended pool in the neighbor next door but the irresponsible parents that have not clue what their children are doing around.

That I totally agree with you that the parents should keep a closer eye on their kids as I stated in my OP. But I also feel that it is also the responsibility of the owner of a pool that it be secure. If the yard isn't fenced, OK, then at least remove the ladder to go in so it wont be as easy.

When I mentionned my neighbor's pool in the OP, I didn't give much details about it and I know that some might not have liked the fact that I would call bylaws about it but it is a very negligent setup:
-The pool is above ground about 18 foot wide The cheaper ones you can buy at Walmart). It is unstable(uneven terrain). There is a ladder that is unlocked (I can see it from my yard) with only a small board of wood LEANING against the pool on only 1 side and I have seen them move it to go in....a 2 year old could easily push it down without effort. and the yard isn't fenced either.
I also mentionend 3-5 year olds walking aroung the block unsupervised....1+1=2 right. It's like an accident waiting to happen. This is the only reason I called it in. I am not normally one to complain about neighbors (its not the greatest idea to have a neighbor against you) but this I felt was important.

Teye22

Heres what I see when I go to a pool or beach....I herd of moms all sitting together talking about their Mary Kay party or other endeavours, completely oblivious to the status of their children.

Parents!! The safety of your children is your responsibility, Not Joe Shmoe across the pool, it is YOU! OFten times I have read in all the news storys that 10 minutes or more have usually passed until a child is noticed to have drowned, and that is unacceptable! It takes lesss than a minute for a child to drown.

When I take my children to swim, F tanning, F me cooling off, F my food F everything if it does not involve me watching my three boys every second! Time and time again, Im in a position where I need to intervene FOR YOU, and save your own kids!

I have saved 3 children this year, because either MOM is snoring on the beach working on her tan or in one case, Mon and Dad sitting in their car enjoying the Air Conditioning.

Wake Up Parents!!

reply to post by Teye22


We have laws in many states that if a pool is in poor conditions empty of water and upkeep it has to be filled or fixed because the owner will be fined.

That is why around my neck of the woods is not so much about fencing and gates but the care of pool..

reply to post by imagineering


Well said!! I have 3 kids myself (5, 6, and 9) and if me and/or my wife are not one the deck or in the pool, The door remains locked (with the key out of reach inside the house) and the pool in NOT accessible. I have a fence around my pool (attached to it making it 6.5 feet high) with a small deck (padlocked) to gain access and even if this is secure enough, I also have a 5' fence around my yard(also locked when we aren't home. If/when I am at the beach/public pool, I stay near the kids and keep an eye on them AT ALL TIMES.

I have also seen a lot of children with their parents no where to be seen. As you said, I guess those parents rely on Lifeguards and others to watch them on their behalf!!

A little off topic but the same thing goes for very young kids(2 or 3y-o) playing in the streets on a busy road....no parents around...WTF! I see this daily.

I will say it again and again, for crying out loud, PARENTS, WATCH YOUR KIDS, THEY ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITY!!!!

I don't consider myself perfect, far from it but one thing I can say without a doubt, I KNOW my kids are supervised and are safe.

Teye22

Originally posted by marg6043
reply to post by Teye22

 

We have laws in many states that if a pool is in poor conditions empty of water and upkeep it has to be filled or fixed because the owner will be fined.

That is why around my neck of the woods is not so much about fencing and gates but the care of pool..

In my area, on a country road, if there are very few houses in the area, the fence is not required either because the risk is a lot smaller (but still existant). But my situation is in a residential area packed with young kids, like 40-50 within a few blocks (I live 2 blocks from an elementary school).

This is why this aggravates me. Too many kids around with opened/unsupervised pools accessible to them. Young Kids are naive and don't necessarily recognize danger so it is very important for parents to educate them about those risks.

Thanks for you post

Teye22

reply to post by Teye22


I'm in Eastern Ontario And I noticede that as well. What's up with that? When My kids go swimming I'm weither in the pool with them or sitting by the pool having a cold one (cola) or something. I don't get parents that leave a 5 year old alone in a pool. If I have to go inside for a couple aminutes well they'll have to come out of the pool and have a little snack or something while I'm inside weither they like it or not.

Originally posted by glen200376
wow like kids cant/don't climb fences.so you lap up all these nanny state laws and want more.watch out that the over zealous compliance attendant doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night!be careful what you wish for.

No fan of frivolous nanny laws, but come on, this one has merit. We have the same fence around the pool law in my hood and it not the kids that can climb the fence that are likely to drown it is the little guys.

No need to belittle somebody that might be saving a life, I appreciate the OP caring about others.

Originally posted by XLR8R
reply to post by Teye22

 

I'm in Eastern Ontario And I noticede that as well. What's up with that? When My kids go swimming I'm weither in the pool with them or sitting by the pool having a cold one (cola) or something. I don't get parents that leave a 5 year old alone in a pool.

If I have to go inside for a couple aminutes well they'll have to come out of the pool and have a little snack or something while I'm inside weither they like it or not.

Exactly my thoughts!!!

Thanks for the input

Teye22

Originally posted by sad_eyed_lady

Originally posted by glen200376
wow like kids cant/don't climb fences.so you lap up all these nanny state laws and want more.watch out that the over zealous compliance attendant doesn't wake you up in the middle of the night!be careful what you wish for.

No fan of frivolous nanny laws, but come on, this one has merit. We have the same fence around the pool law in my hood and it not the kids that can climb the fence that are likely to drown it is the little guys.

No need to belittle somebody that might be saving a life, I appreciate the OP caring about others.

Thanks

It is the same here in West Virginia. We have had 4 drownings in 5 days. I do believe it is because of the heat, plus the power outages we have had from the big storm that came through. Some in our area are still without power. but 4 drownings in 5 days that's above our yearly average.

I love it when people sign their post with their name. Sometimes i forget by the time i finish reading who the author was. Im in heaven here thanks OP!

Originally posted by sputniksteve
I love it when people sign their post with their name. Sometimes i forget by the time i finish reading who the author was. Im in heaven here thanks OP!

I dont know if you are being sarcastic or not .. . It's all good anyways I don't even know myself why I keep writing it when I know all too well that it is on the left of my posts