Anchorage first responders give water safety tips as drowning deaths in U.S. rise

Anchorage first responders give water safety tips as drowning deaths in U.S. rise
Summer is here, which means many people will be spending a lot more time near the water.

Whether it be a pool, creek, lake or river, first responders from the Anchorage-Middletown Fire Department are offering safety tips to keep in mind.

"The first thing is to never swim alone, whether you're a child or an adult," said Adrienne Renner, the community risk reduction specialist for the AMFD. "[You] could have cramps, which is a danger, especially the older adults that like to swim because it's easier on your joints."

"If you know CPR or have an AED on hand, it really protects that person that may be in a medical emergency because someone knows how to do CPR and they're going to be able to help save their life," said Renner.

Renner also said it's always a good idea to wear a bright-colored swimsuit that would stand out if someone were to sink to the bottom of a pool. Avoid the color blue, if possible, because it blends in with many pool surfaces.

This comes as the CDC reported that drowning deaths are on the rise across the U.S. Since 2019, drowning deaths are up 10%. Those numbers are even higher for children under the age of 4 (28%) and adults between the ages of 65 and 74 (19%).

Renner said they believe there's a reason those numbers went up after the pandemic.

"Water-related incidents are occurring more because during [the pandemic] when everyone was in isolation, people weren't taking part in those swim lessons and they weren't getting the education they needed on swimming," said Renner.

Officials hope those numbers will decline now that swimming lessons are being offered regularly, but data from the CDC suggests the problem may go back further than 2020.

According to the CDC, 40 million Americans reported not knowing how to swim. Fifty-five percent of Americans said they had never taken a swimming lesson.

With that in mind, the AMFD is now promoting a 'water watchers' program.

"Having a 'water watcher' on duty at all times. This helps because someone is always dedicated to watching the pool or even in the river or those kinds of things," said Renner. "Don't be on your on your devices. Don't participate in any kind of social activities. Don't play cards, those kinds of things, while you're the water watcher. 100% of attention is on the water."

The department is offering a "water watcher" card that has tips on how to prevent drowning deaths.