Stay safe around swimming pools

Pool season is here, and the sounds of people playing in the water are a sure sign that the summer season is really heating up. But the fun of playing in the water can quickly turn tragic. Almost 400 children younger than age 5 drown every year in swimming pool accidents across the country, and more than 3,200 go to a hospital emergency room after a near drowning. A child can drown in 2 inches of water in under five minutes and never make a sound. Children ages 1 to 4 have the highest drowning rates — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more children between those ages die from drowning than any other cause of death except for birth defects. Fatal drowning remains the second-leading cause of unintentional injury-related death for children ages 1 to 14 years, the CDC says. And, according to the American Red Cross, 69 percent of young children who drown were not expected to be in or near water. That makes it important to check water first when a child is missing....