Water safety

Keeping children safe in and around water, especially younger children, is a full time job. Children need to be constantly supervised in any situation involving water, not just swimming pools.   For example, children under age one most often drown in bathtubs, buckets, and toilets. Experts say that children don't generally splash when they have difficulty in the water, but slip silently under the surface.  In most cases, supervising adults reported stepping away for less than five minutes.

Even children who are strong swimmers can struggle with open water situations, such as rivers or lakes.  For this reason, all children should wear life jackets when swimming in these areas. As of June 10, 2008, a  Sacramento County ordinance requires all children 12 and under to wear an approved flotation device in all Sacramento County public water ways. 

The Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District Operation River Safe program offers loaner life vests for people swimming in some areas of the American River. The Trauma Prevention Program and Kohl’s Cares for Kids donates life jackets to the Sacramento Metropolitan Fire District to support Operation River Safe. 

The American Academy of Pediatrics has information on how to keep children in all age groups safe in the water at home, in swimming pools, on boats, and in open bodies of water.