Swim safety heading into the summer

AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – According to the Centers for Disease Control, every year in the United States, there are over 4 thousand unintentional drowning deaths, and heading into the warm months, it is essential to be prepared for any situation around water.

“Drowning can happen to anyone, anywhere that there is water,” said Abby Miranda, Lead Lifeguard at The Kroc Center. “It can happen to good swimmers, it can happen to adults, it can happen to children. And so, learning the water safety basics.”

Drowning can happen very quickly and be quiet, so it’s important to have supervision and stay vigilant when around water, especially when it comes to children.

“We never want kids to have panic responses when they get themselves into dangerous situations. We want them to be able to think about the skills that they have and how they can get themselves to safety,” said Miranda.

The Kroc Center just held its 2nd annual Izzy Scott Splash Summit. The Kroc Center is doing 130 free swim lessons through the scholarships from the Izzy Scott Foundation.
The Foundation is named in memory of Izzy Scott, who was 4 years old when he drowned in a local private pool after taking swim lessons. 

“It’s such an important thing to learn how to be safe in and around the water, and we never want finances to be a barrier to that,” said Janelys Villalta, Marketing & PR Manager at The Salvation Army.

The Kroc Center offers swim lessons throughout the year for ages 6 months to adults. The beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. Also, make sure to have your children swim in the pool throughout the year so they are practicing what they are learning in their swim lessons.

“We offer swim lessons every single month. Typically, that sign-up starts on the 15th of the previous month. So, it’s May now, we just opened our registrations for June,” said Villalta.

Other ways to stay safe around the water are U.S. Coast Guard-approved life jackets, dressing in bright colors that are not blue to be easily visible against the water, drinking lots of water, and wearing sunscreen or sun-protective clothes if outside because of dehydration and heat exposure. 

Overall, the Izzy Scott Foundation has close to 200 people who signed up for free swim lessons through different organizations, and there is a waiting list you can sign up for. To join the wait list, contact the Izzy Scott Foundation here.  Visit the Salvation Army’s website to sign up for their swim lessons.