With that legendary Houston heat just getting started, and only promising to get hotter, Houston City Council Member Tiffany Thomas is bringing her “Summer of Safety” initiative to Houston pools.
Pools offer a refreshing escape from the heat, but they also come with inherent risks. According to the latest U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and the CDC report, there is an annual average of 389 pool or spa-related fatal drownings and 6,300 nonfatal drowning injuries among children under 15.
Why water safety needed
Alarmingly, 73% of these fatalities and 80% of the injuries involve children under five. Tragically, as recently as June 1, a 5-year-old girl drowned in a pool in the Westchase area of District F.
“This speaks to the overall importance of why we need to make sure that our families, young people, and adults have the tools they need in order to swim,” said Thomas.
Launched in 2023, the “Summer of Safety” initiative is returning with enhanced programming. This year’s events continue to focus on the health and safety of young residents in District F, aiming to improve the quality of life for all constituents in the district and across Houston.
The “Summer of Safety” initiative kicks off with a Swim and Water Safety Seminar at the Alief Neighborhood Center Pool. Hosted by Council Member Thomas in collaboration with Houston Waves, Houston Parks and Recreation Department, and Coach CPR LLC., the seminar will feature a beginner’s swimming class and essential pool safety guidelines.
Community approval
Former District F resident Tre Norrison likes the direction District F is headed.
“Just a few years ago, it seems, District F, especially Alief, had gone down with crime and such, but that councilwoman, Thomas, has delivered the goods, like the new neighborhood center, this safety summer program and a bunch of other things.”, said Norrison.
Cynthia Desmond isn’t a District F resident, but she appreciates Thomas’s safety initiative.
“It’s encouraging to see city leaders being proactive about safety rather than just reacting after something goes wrong or someone gets hurt, or worse,” said Desmond last year, during the inaugural “Summer of Safety” kick-off.
Stats we need to know
Here are some additional stats that speak to the importance of water safety:
- Drowning claims the lives of approximately 3,500 people per year, with nearly 25% being children under the age of 14. The problem is particularly prevalent in ethnically diverse communities, where the drowning rate is almost three times the national average (CDC).
- Approximately 10 people drown every day in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
- Black children drown at a rate nearly 5.5 times higher than their Caucasian peers, as reported by the CDC.
- Drowning is a silent killer—most young children who drowned in pools were last seen in the home, had been out of sight less than five minutes, and were in the care of one or both parents at the time, according to the Present P. Child Drowning Study.
- If a parent does not know how to swim, there is only a 19% chance that a child in that household will learn how to swim.
- 79% of children in families with household income less than $50,000 have no or low swimming ability.
Personal testimony on swimming lessons importance
Last year, Olympians Cullen Jones (2008 and 2012 Olympic Games) and Nathan Adrian (2008, 2012 and 2016) were in Houston, brought here by the USA Swimming Foundation and Phillips 66 as part of the annual “Make a Splash Tour,” where former Olympic swimmers visit cities across the country providing swimming lessons for youth, especially Black and Latinx children.
Jones knows personally the importance of water safety. During a family trip to an amusement park, Jones says though he hadn’t taken swimming lessons, all seemed safe. Still, the unthinkable nearly happened.
“What’s important about my story was that there were lifeguards there. My parents were there… and, I was still able to go underwater; had to be resuscitated. And then, my parents were like, ‘Never again. We’re getting you into swim lessons,’” he said.
Now 20 years later, swimming is still a primary piece of his life.
“Becoming an Olympian; but humble beginnings of almost drowning; I was almost the statistics that we are trying to fight,” he added.
This event is a prime opportunity to update, educate, and empower the community with the knowledge that swimming skills and pool safety are crucial at any age.
Event Details
WHAT: Swim & Water Safety Seminar
WHEN: Sat., June 15 and Sat., July 13, 2024, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
WHERE: The Alief Neighborhood Center Pool, 11903 Bellaire Blvd., Houston, TX 77072
