Secure pools now! – Death in the pool: how to protect your kids

These three tragedies bring tears to my eyes:

Dec 30, 2021: Little Tim from Garsten fell into the fish pond in the garden on December 30, his sister initially saved him by jumping out of the cold water. The boy died in hospital a few days later.

March 20, 2022: On the southern shore of the Walchsee in Tyrol, a 14-month-old boy unexpectedly fell into the water, which was covered with a layer of ice. His parents ran the on-site restaurant and pulled their lifeless child out of the water with their own hands — but it didn’t stand a chance.

March 29, 2022: A two-year-old boy played with his mother in the sandbox in Altmünster in Upper Austria. The mother only briefly left the garden and took something from the house. When she returned, her son was gone. Helplessly he drowned in a neighbor’s biotope.

These dramas impressively portray how quickly drowning accidents can happen in small children: “If there is free access to water nearby, a small child should not be left out of sight, even for a small moment,” says Ralph Hamburger , chairman of the water rescue service. service Perchtoldsdorf. “Children are curious and cannot estimate the danger.” Once they have fallen into the water, it is often too late: “The glottis closes and the body freezes. Little children drown without making a sound.”

Light clothing makes the little ones more visible
It is therefore recommended to secure open water areas, swimming pools or biotopes: “A swimming pool fence with a self-closing door is a very safe method to prevent drowning accidents,” says Johanna Trauner-Karner of the Board of Trustees for Road Safety, who also wear light clothing. recommended for the little ones. “You can very well teach small children to lie on their stomach when they look into the water. This also reduces the risk of falling into the water.”

In an emergency, every second counts. “Call an ambulance and immediately start CPR with CPR and CPR and don’t stop until the rescuers arrive,” says Hamburger. He advises enrolling children in swimming lessons now, so that they are well prepared for the summer.

Number of non-swimmers increased due to Corona
According to the theory, every child should be able to keep their heads above water before they go to school. The reality is different. As Elisabeth Kellner, who is responsible for swimming at the Vienna Education Directorate, confirms: “In our compulsory school swimming courses with the third graders, every second child now starts as a non-swimmer.”

According to the Austrian Road Safety Board, 162,000 young people under the age of 19 cannot swim at all in Austria, and another 95,000 are only very unsafe. The concern for this year’s bathing season is correspondingly great: “Unfortunately, we expect many accidents, as the number of non-swimmers has steadily increased due to Corona”, the experts at KFV are concerned.

Course demand huge
For all those parents who want to get their little ones fit for the water in the summer, it’s five to twelve. Due to the lockdown breaks, there is an unprecedented demand for courses: “As soon as we put the offers online, they are already fully booked,” says Peter Steiner of the Steiner swimming school in the Vienna Stadthallenbad.

There is a lack of wetlands across the country that can be used for rescue training. Indoor swimming pools in smaller municipalities in particular are gradually dying out due to the high maintenance costs. An additional bottleneck is the currently sharply rising energy prices.

The cultural asset of swimming is in serious jeopardy! Some states want to take countermeasures with swimming offensives. The Ministry of Sport will also launch a broad initiative during the summer holidays. In July and August, club coaches are deployed as swimming instructors.