SwimSAFER Week is a national campaign between Swim Australia and Energy Australia highlighting vital water safety messages, focussing on the importance of an Emergency Action Plan – primarily for use in and around aquatic environments. As summer approaches and the weather warms up, more and more families will use backyard pools, local swimming centres, rivers and beaches to cool off. It is an alarming reality that accidental childhood drowning claims the greatest number of young lives than any other trauma.
Swim Australia designed the Swim SAFER program primarily to assist Swim Schools ‘live the water safety message’. Swim Schools are uniquely placed to positively influence the swimming and water safety habits of their customers – the parents, caregivers and children. Swim Australia registers Swim Schools teaching swimming & water safety that meets their criteria for being a quality facility and program. See our list of local swimming pools here, many of which offer lessons throughout the year.
No measure can ever guarantee that children are safer in, on and around water. It is only human for adults to sometimes lapse in their supervision of children in the home or while out and about. Children can and do find ways over fences, and even those who have had swimming lessons can still drown. For this reason the SwimSAFER message promotes the application of various layers to protect children from drowning – if one layer ‘fails’ then there is another behind it that may save their life.
Swim Australia has developed the Layers of Protection plan which all families should follow – steps that you can take to ensure a safer aquatic environment.
Supervision: Be alert and keep constant visual contact, and non-swimmers and children within arm’s reach.
Barriers: Ensure pools are fully fenced with self-closing, self-latching gates, and that both are maintained in good working order.
Lessons: Allow children to explore and become comfortable in water environments, gaining confidence using water-based activities.
Emergency Action Plan: If a child is missing, check the pool and other water hazards first; seconds count! Keep a phone close for emergency use only and make sure you know CPR.
Click here for more information via the Swim Australia website.
What: SwimSAFER Week
When: 25 November – 1 December 2013
Where: Australia Wide
Who: All Ages
Information Source: Swim Australia
At Play & Go Adelaide we make every effort to provide accurate information to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication. We recommend confirming times, dates and details directly before making any plans as details may be subject to change.
