Drowning is the second leading cause of death in children under the age of 14 in the state of Texas.

This July, Manning Pool Service is partnering with the YMCA of Greater Houston in its Eliminate Drowning campaign. We are creating a conversation about pool safety awareness and we encourage you to get involved!

Here’s How You Can Join the Conversation:

  1. Post or tweet your own story, water safety tip, or advice on Facebook or Twitter.
  2. Tag @ManningPoolService (Facebook) or mention @ManningPools (Twitter).
  3. Use the hashtag #EliminateDrowning

Here is what Manning Pool Service is committing to for the month of July:

  • We will sponsor a free session of swim lessons for our new residential clients
  • We will participate in YMCA’s Safety Around Water program, testing the pool chemicals and ensuring safety to use the pool
  • We will be sharing swim safety information throughout the summer and encouraging others to do the same.

Pool safety is a top concern for us! We are glad to join the fight to eliminate drowning. To find out more about how to keep yourself and your loved ones safe in the pool, check out our pool safety page.

How Can You Help?

Get Educated

Learn the signs of drowning. Understand that drowning is silent and quick – it can happen in a matter of minutes. Once you know what drowning looks like, you can help prevent it. In addition, it’s important to understand that drowning can occur in both deep and shallow water – depth doesn’t matter. In fact, many children drown in bathtubs, buckets, and even toilets. It only takes two inches of water to present a drowning risk. According to the CDC, in 10 percent of child drowning cases, an adult is watching and has no idea that the child is drowning – so knowing the signs is absolutely essential to eliminating drowning.

Be Watchful

Since drowning can happen so quickly, it is important to keep a watchful eye out for anyone who may be drowning. The first clue is usually what is referred to as the Instinctive Drowning Response, coined by Francesco A. Pia, Ph.D.

  1. “Except in rare circumstances, drowning people are physiologically unable to call out for help. The respiratory system was designed for breathing. Speech is the secondary or overlaid function. Breathing must be fulfilled before speech occurs.
  2. Drowning people’s mouths alternately sink below and reappear above the surface of the water. The mouths of drowning people are not above the surface of the water long enough for them to exhale, inhale, and call out for help. When the drowning people’s mouths are above the surface, they exhale and inhale quickly as their mouths start to sink below the surface of the water.
  3. Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on the water’s surface. Pressing down on the surface of the water permits drowning people to leverage their bodies so they can lift their mouths out of the water to breathe.
  4. Throughout the Instinctive Drowning Response, drowning people cannot voluntarily control their arm movements. Physiologically, drowning people who are struggling on the surface of the water cannot stop drowning and perform voluntary movements such as waving for help, moving toward a rescuer, or reaching out for a piece of rescue equipment.
  5. From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with no evidence of a supporting kick. Unless rescued by a trained lifeguard, these drowning people can only struggle on the surface of the water from 20 to 60 seconds before submersion occurs.”

Learn Water Rescue Skills and CPR

In case of an emergency, it is important to know how to rescue drowning people and perform CPR if necessary.

Take Formal Swimming Lessons

Knowing how to swim and teaching your loved ones how to do so safely can really help to eliminate drowning.

Join the Fight to Eliminate Drowning in Texas!

Join Manning Pool Service and the YMCA of Greater Houston in our fight to #eliminatedrowning! You can help save a life! Visit https://www.ymcahouston.org/programs/drowning-elimination to learn more about the YMCA’s Eliminate Drowning campaign. Don’t forget to learn more about pool safety to help eliminate drowning!

Learn More

Eliminate Drowning | Manning Pool Service – Houston, TX