After a spate of six fatal drownings since Christmas Day, Life Saving Victoria (LSV) is reminding parents to watch around water, as children aged between five and 14 are at highest risk of drowning in January.
Of the 38 children within this age group who have drowned in the past decade, 34 per cent have been in January.
This has sparked an urgent warning from LSV manager of research and evaluation, Dr Hannah Calverley, for parents and guardians to keep an eye on their little ones.
“With January marking school holidays, many families will head away to the coast or river to enjoy a relaxing break, but the one thing you can never relax on is water safety,” Dr Calverley said.
“It takes just 20 seconds for a child to drown in as little as a few centimetres of water, so to avoid tragedy these holidays, please actively supervise children at all times, which means under-fives in arm’s reach and under 10s in your constant and direct eyeline.”
Dr Calverley said another important thing to consider was ‘who is doing the supervising’.
“If you are celebrating or holidaying with a large group of people, it can be easy to assume that someone else is watching the kids when in fact, nobody is,” she said.
“This is why LSV encourages you to have designated adult supervisors whose role it is to actively watch the kids. You can rotate this role throughout the day, so everyone gets a chance to relax and enjoy themselves.
“The designated supervisor should also be above the age of 16, and prepared and capable to enter the water in an emergency.”
Kidsafe Victoria general manager, Jason Chambers, also encouraged parents to learn CPR and first aid so they have the skills to respond should the worst happen.
“Nobody wants to think about the worst happening, but Kidsafe Victoria encourages all parents and carers to enrol in a CPR and first aid course and update their skills regularly,” Mr Chambers said.
“Hopefully, these are skills you will never have to use, but if you do, it could be the difference between life and death.”
A total of 27 people have fatally drowned in Victoria since July 1, 2022.
