Too many times this year, emergency medicine doctors confront emotional devastation as a wet, limp child is brought in to their care centers, parents deperate for a miracle.
The number of drownings is unusually high this year, not only in South Florida but across the nation. Anyone close to water should consider these recent incidents:
- A 60-year-old woman drowned in a rip current in Hollywood Beach
- A 44-year-old man died in a canal in Fort Lauderdale
- An 8-year-old boy wandered into a pool in Fort Lauderdale and lost his life
Emergency responders say several factors are behind the recent increase in drownings and near-drownings in Florida. Tourists are back, children aren’t being taught how to swim, rip currents are happening frequently, and lifeguard stations are going unstaffed.
With all these factors at play, knowing how to save yourself or a loved one from drowning, and the actions to take in the first few minutes can be critical.
“Drownings are preventable,” Lt. Governor Jeanette Nuñez said on Tuesday at the Jacobs Aquatic Center in Key Largo. “We have people from all over the world who come to Florida specifically to enjoy our beaches, pools and springs and we want them to do so safely.”
Already this year, Florida has tallied eight deaths from rip current drownings; 60 deaths from child drownings; and Broward Fire Rescue has transported nine near-drowning calls, six adults and three children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says drownings are the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4.
“One pediatric drowning is one too many,” said Dr. Gary Lai, emergency medicine chief at Broward Health Coral Springs.
Lai described the scene in the emergency department when a child arrives after being submerged too long. “We see tens of thousands of patients over the course of a year. When you’re hands on, looking at the face of the child, looking at the little hands and feet, you’re doing chest compressions, you’re looking at the family’s faces, you’re looking at your co-workers, physicians, medics, nursing, respiratory therapy, everyone that’s in there — it’s a lot different,” he said.
The rise in drownings is a national concern as well. The CDC released a report in May revealing that drowning deaths are on the rise in the United States post-pandemic, following decades of decline. Experts urge particular caution in Florida where swimming pools, spas, beaches, lakes and canals make water hard to avoid.
Free swim lessons could help; so could CPR
When a child slips underwater or an adult struggles in the ocean, every second counts.
In June, Broward Health held a CPR demonstration, demonstrating what to do in the minutes after someone is pulled from the water.
“You want to call 911 as soon as possible and start CPR as soon as possible,” said Lai at Broward Health.
Being underwater too long cuts the flow of oxygen and can damage brain cells. Performing CPR helps to maintaining blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
“Although we do an amazing job of caring for these patients, and sometimes we have wonderful outcomes, unfortunately, some of them do suffer severe and sometimes permanent injuries … it’s very devastating to families,” Lai said.
Broward Health held a news conference in June to make the public aware that it offers in-person swim classes for $10.
Basic swimming and water safety skills training can reduce drowning risk, but over half of U.S. adults have never taken a swimming lesson. Experts say children do what their parents do, and parents who fail to learn swimming raise children who become adult non-swimmers.
In April, Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation to create the state’s first swimming lesson voucher program for children. The legislation, effective July 1, covers lessons for families with children ages 4 and under who make “less than 200% of the federal poverty level.”
Tara Montenaro, chief operating office of YMCA of South Florida, said individuals should start with a swim test at a nearby YMCA.
“We will swim test you for free in a safe encouraging environment, then set you on a plan and get you into classes,” Montenaro said. The YMCA offers classes for Floridians 6 months and older.
“The reality is formal swimming lessons reduce the risks of drowning,” she said.
If you encounter someone who is drowning and you don’t have strong swim skills, the best way to rescue a child or adult is to toss a swim noodle, seat cushion, life ring, kickboard or beach ball, “anything to help them get their head above water,” Montenaro said. “The minute you go in and can’t swim, you both are going to drown. The child will climb on you in panic and you will both drown.”
Aim for layers of protection
Arms flailing, people screaming for help … is often the exact opposite of how drownings occur, says Nikki Fleming, public affairs specialist with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s Pool Safely initiative.
“Drownings don’t occur like you see in the movies,” she said. “They happen quickly and silently. They are a submersion no one hears.”
Fleming said layers of protection are important, particularly to prevent child drownings. She recommends a pool fence, a pool alarm, door alarms and an assigned water watcher at every pool party.
“Many child drownings happen when children gain access to pools with no one knowing,” Fleming said. “Toddlers are especially attracted to the water.”
Know how to get out of a rip current
Along with pool drownings, rip currents are taking lives in the Sunshine State. From Stuart Beach to Hollywood Beach, residents and tourists have been caught in rip currents off the coast line. One incident often leads to multiple drownings as friends or family try to rescue the flailing swimmer.
George Rizzuto, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Miami, says swimmers need to heed the warnings. A strong wind perpendicular to the beach will cause a rip current. Heat is not a factor, but wind strength is what causes rip currents. “When there’s a strong easterly flow we will issue rip current advisories. We recommend you exercise caution and pay attention to what ocean rescue is saying,” Rizzuto said.
Beachgoers who go in even knee deep are vulnerable to rip currents. When a red flag is flying at a lifeguard station, stay out of the water. “The minute you put your foot in the ocean anything can happen,” said Montenaro at the YMCA.
If caught in a rip current, do not try to swim directly to shore. Swim along the shoreline until you escape the current’s pull. Once free from the pull of the current, swim at an angle away from the current toward shore. If you feel you can’t reach shore, relax, face the shore and call or wave for help.
Montenaro said it may be tempting to settle in on the beach where no lifeguards are present to pester you about loud music or open beer bottles. “What beachgoers should know is that lifeguards are watching the water, not managing the beach. You have a greater chance that a lifeguard will be able to rescue you than a spouse or child.”
However, some beaches in Florida, including popular beaches like Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, continue to go unsupervised. For these beaches there is a false belief that the “public will understand the warnings,” according to Dr. John Fletemeyer, aquatics expert and co-founder of the International Rip Current Symposium program.
“There’s that expectation that you can describe a rip current to the public, and have a member of the public stand on the water’s edge, look out in the water and use these identifiers to know if there’s a rip current that’s present or not and not to swim,” Fletemeyer said. “That expectation is unrealistic.”
South Florida Sun Sentinel reporter Cindy Goodman can be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com. Sun Sentinel reporter Lauren Ferrer can be reached at lferrer@sunsentinel.com.