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Wildomar provides training a few times a year, at no cost to those taking the classes. They are about 20 hours long over the course of a weekend.
There are periodic refresher courses (for lack of a better term), and the most recent one was called Drowning Awareness.
A lot of good info from 4 guest speakers
The first speaker, Irene Hjelmervik (Yell-Mer-Vick) was from Riverside University Health System. She went over a Water Safety quiz after we watched a video called Pool Safely.
Most of it was review, but some things were new on my radar.
Top of the list: smartphones usage while watching kids around pools.
Our youngest is 23, and she was already 8 years old before I got my first cell phone, and that was before texting was a thing.
I can see that if you're in charge of a child's safety, that you shouldn't even have your phone with you, much less in your hand.
Considering that backyard drowning is 100% preventable, I'd think figuring it out would be pretty high on your list of things to accomplish.
Below is a short video that reminds you "sometimes there's no do over."
☺
The second speaker, Lindsey Dolan, spoke on behalf of something called Infant Swimming Resource, aka ISR.It's a type of swim class that teaches small children, as young as four months old, to flip onto their backs and float when in the water.
The lessons aren't traditional. They aren't just taught to splash around in the water, but how to get to their backs and float, even when fully clothed.
She related a story of how one child, about a year old, had an additional 12 pounds of clothes to deal with once they got soaked in the pool.
Lindsey had been an RN for 16 years before transitioning into being a ISR swim teacher, she's located in Murrieta.
The lessons are one on one, and come in a series (usually a week at a time, but often for two weeks). The lessons only last 10 minutes and each week is $100.
At first blush, $20 for ten minutes — times five, might seem pricey, but you have to ask yourself how valuable is your child's safety?
It reminds be of an old Bell Helmet slogan that went something like: If you have a ten dollar head, then buy a ten dollar helmet.
Heartbreaking stories about their daughters being there one moment, and finding them at the bottom of the pool the next.
Jodi's daughter Justine was estimated to be under water for five minutes. She suffered severe brain damage and was in the hospital for two months. The doctors didn't think expect her to live, but she did, and she lived for another 23 years.
She died in 2013, on Jodi's birthday, and is buried in Wildomar cemetery.
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| Jodi Pesicka, Toni Bravo-Rousseau, Lindsey Dolan and Mayor Bridgette Moore. |
Toni's daughter Summer drowned on Mother's Day 2011. Usually the pool was childproof, but the alarms were shut off that day. It was estimated that she was underwater for 10 minutes, and it took 36 minutes to get a pulse back.
Two years ago, Summer had a 12 hour seizure and is now on a ventilator.
I would love to push ISR for all families, because of the fact that the barriers were there [around my pool], everything was there, but if had my daughter in ISR I wouldn't be living this.
Toni Bravo-Rousseau
It goes without saying that one of the most important things you can do for your child is to get them watersafe.
Also learned at tonight's meeting
Water Safety Awareness 5K is coming to Wildomar (Marna O'Brien Park) on April 15th 2017... more on this as it develops.
Links
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He who has a thousand friends has not a friend to spare, While he who has one enemy shall meet him everywhere.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882
— Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1803-1882
Wildomar Rap knows that mulligans only work on the golf course.
Thank you so much for engaging in the conversation about water safety. I am Jodi's sister and it is my wish that no family would have to experience this kind of tragedy. I miss my beautiful niece everyday and I especially miss knowing the amazing woman she would have become.
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