Take Steps to Assure a Family-Safe Summer – let us Brush up on mouth-to-mouth resuscitation to help prevent drownings
San Rafael, CA – Summer is a great time to enjoy different indoor and outdoor activities. But every summer, children in our community die or are injured from drowning or falls. For adults and children alike, additional risks for injury or illness are heat-related illnesses, diseases from bug bites, and falls.
Drowning is a leading cause of unintentional death in children ages 1 to 4, and the fifth leading cause of unintentional injury death for people of all ages. From 2012 to 2016, there were more than 200 deaths across the Bay Area from pool and natural water drownings, including six in Marin County.
“We want to remind residents about ways they can stay safe and healthy while participating in summer water-related activities,” said Dr. Lisa Santora, Deputy Public Health Officer with Marin County Public Health.
Whether you pull an unconscious person from the water or see someone suddenly keel over and become unresponsive, calling 911 should be your first action if you are able to do so without leaving the scene. Otherwise, send someone else and concentrate on the victim by performing mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Knowing how to safely perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation is important for anyone spending time in and around water.
For those situations when a person does not have a pulse, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can help provide victims the extra time needed to survive until emergency personnel arrives.
The Marin County Emergency Medical Services Agency (Marin EMS), the Marin County Fire Department and Marin County Health and Human Services are combining talents with other Marin agencies for the eighth annual training to teach hands-only CPR and “stop the bleed” techniques to anybody 8 years old and up. Visitors can swing by any of 19 venues all over the county on Saturday, June 10, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation and emergency first aid at no cost.
To avoid summer injuries and illness, following simple summer safety tips can make this time of year memorable for summer fun and not for a trip to hospital.
- Drowning prevention: CDC at cdc.gov/safechild/drowning
- Fall prevention: National Council on Aging at ncoa.org/healthy-aging/falls-prevention
- Extreme Heat: CDC at cdc.gov/disasters/extremeheat
- Mosquito bites: CDC at cdc.gov/features/stopmosquitoes
- Preventing tick bites: CDC at cdc.gov/lyme/prev
Posted by – Melanie Nathan [email protected]