(CBS DETROIT) – Families love to hit the water on July 4, but authorities say a day of swimming can turn into a nightmare if you’re not careful.
“Every kid in America knows how to stop, drop and roll. We want every kid in America to learn how to flip, float and follow,” said Bob Pratt, director of education for the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project.
Pratt worked as a firefighter and paramedic in East Lansing for more than two decades and has since focused on another element: water.
“Drowning is the leading cause of accidental death in children ages one to four, and the second leading cause of death in children under 15,” Pratt said.
Statistics from the Great Lakes Surf Rescue Project show that 36 people have drowned in 2024 through July 1:
- 16 in Lake Michigan
- 2 in the Upper Lake
- 2 in Lake Huron
- 10 in Eerie Lake
- 6 in Lake Ontario
“We encourage people to designate a water watcher. A water watcher is someone whose sole job is to watch the water,” Pratt said when he’s hanging out near bodies of water, such as one of the Great Lakes. “So designate someone whose sole job is to watch things in the water, because drowning is subtle,” he said.
Unlike movies or television shows that show people waving their arms in the air and screaming, drowning happens in the blink of an eye, Pratt says.
“One moment they’re there, and then they dive again. Unfortunately, they’re often invisible in the water because of the disturbance and glare,” he said.
He says all water education is good education, but when it comes to those brightly colored swimsuits,
“If you’re worried about noticing your child underwater, we’re already behind the times. We’re already way behind the times, so it’s much more important that we prevent your child from being underwater than it is to deal with it after it happens,” Pratt said.
