Drowning doesn’t look like drowning

It’s official: Summer is here. The pools are open, grills are uncovered and people are swarming to the area’s lakes and rivers and pools for sun, fun and recreation.

But beach and pool fun during the summer months can also be a dangerous time for small children and what is generally viewed as a time of relaxation can quickly turn into a tragedy.

How fast can a child drown?

Five minutes? Three? Not even close. According to the American Red Cross, 20 seconds is all it takes. Twenty seconds to end a child’s life and forever alter a family.

Children ages 1 to 3 are at the greatest risk for drowning and drowning itself most commonly occurs when an adult is less than 20 feet away. The first question that pops into most people’s minds is: How can this happen so quickly with adults present? Why did no one notice?

The answer is a simple, if terrifying, one. Toddler drownings are typically silent. The initial splash when the toddler enters the water is usually all the warning that will be forthcoming. After that, the shock of the water causes toddlers to violently inhale. Unconsciousness quickly follows.

The sad reality is that even for older victims, help can be delayed or not forthcoming at all because the signs of being in distress in the water often go unnoticed. Violent splashing, screaming for help and the frantic arm waving associated with drowning don’t usually happen.

In short, drowning doesn’t look like drowning.

According to the U.S. Coast Guard, drowning people are physiologically unable to scream or call out for help. This occurs because the respiratory system was designed for breathing — speech (which you need to call out for help) is secondary. Breathing must come first and when your respiratory system is in distress, silence follows.

Along with the silence, natural instincts compel victims to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface in an attempt to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe as they hang vertically in the water.

No sudden movements, no splashing.

This is referred to as the Instinctive Drowning Response or IDR and it virtually eliminates voluntary arm movements including potentially life saving measures such as waving for help, making their way toward a rescuer or even reaching out for a flotation device.

From the onset of the IDR, the average victim can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds prior to full submersion. Because of the lack of flailing and the generally still, silent nature of the event — the signs can be easily overlooked by others present until it’s too late.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC,) not counting boating accidents, there are an average of 3,533 fatal unintentional drownings every year in this country — to the tune of about 10 deaths per day.

Of those deaths, an average of one in five of them are children ages 14 and younger. And for every child who dies from drowning, another five have had to receive emergency department care for nonfatal injuries related to drowning or near drowning.

So what can you do?

Constant vigilance. Recognizing the signs of someone in distress, being knowledgeable in CPR and acting quickly can save a life. Never assume that because there are plenty of adults around that your child is being watched by someone, take the initiative — get in the water with them.

Teaching your children how to swim at an early age can reduce the risks as well as properly securing fencing around pools. Lounging by a pool or a lakeside is a wonderful way to spend a hot summer afternoon, but as parents, a part of you needs to always be on guard to make sure water play is safe.