{"id":14524,"date":"2025-07-24T13:20:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:20:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/?page_id=14524"},"modified":"2025-07-24T13:20:03","modified_gmt":"2025-07-24T17:20:03","slug":"rappahannock-area-health-district-offers-tips-to-make-residential-pools-safe-prevent-drownings","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/news\/public-relations-contacts\/archived-news-releases\/2025-regional-news-releases\/rappahannock-area-health-district-offers-tips-to-make-residential-pools-safe-prevent-drownings\/","title":{"rendered":"Rappahannock Area Health District Offers Tips to Make Residential Pools Safe, Prevent Drownings"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>July 24, 2025<br \/>\n<strong>Media Contact: <\/strong>Erin Perkins, <a href=\"mailto:erin.perkins@vdh.virginia.gov\">erin.perkins@vdh.virginia.gov<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>Rappahannock Area Health District Offers Tips to Make Residential Pools Safe, Prevent Drownings<\/strong><br \/>\n<em>World Drowning Prevention Day is July 25<\/em><\/p>\n<p>FREDERICKSBURG, Va. \u2013 As <a href=\"https:\/\/www.who.int\/campaigns\/world-drowning-prevention-day\/2025\">World Drowning Prevention Day<\/a> approaches, the Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD) reminds families that residential pools are the leading location for accidental pool drownings in children under 15 and encourages homeowners to ensure that their pools have proper safety features in place to help reduce the risk of drowning or injury.<\/p>\n<p>According to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cpsc.gov\/s3fs-public\/Pool-or-Spa-Submersion-Estimated-Nonfatal-Drowning-Injuries-and-Reported-Drownings-2024-Report_0.pdf\">U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission<\/a>, 70% of pool or spa drownings in children under 15 happen at home. That number grows to 85% for children 0-5 years old.<\/p>\n<p>In Virginia, nine children under age five accidentally drowned in pools in 2025, an increase from the last five years (three in 2024, two in 2023, four in 2022, eight in 2021 and four in 2020).<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile it is important to relax and recharge, we must stay alert during high-risk activities like swimming,\u201d said RAHD Health Director Olugbenga Obasanjo, MD. \u201cThis is especially important when watching young children or others who may not see danger or keep themselves safe.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>RAHD offers the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/environmental-health-services\/swim-healthy\/pool-safety-features\/\">following tips<\/a>\u00a0to increase the safety of your residential pool:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Install or maintain a fence at least four feet tall around the entire pool\/spa.<\/li>\n<li>Use a self-closing and self-latching<\/li>\n<li>Use anti-entrapment drain Encourage swimmers to stay away from drains and other pool openings.<\/li>\n<li>Always remove portable pool ladders when not in use and when adults are not<\/li>\n<li>Remove all toys from the pool area that might attract children to the pool when not in use with adult<\/li>\n<li>Install alarms on doors leading from the house to the pool area that will alert you when someone enters the pool area.<\/li>\n<li>Empty and put away smaller portable pools after every Cover larger portable pools.<\/li>\n<li>Make sure your neighbors, babysitters and visitors know about the pool\u2019s presence in your<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Drowning is the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdc.gov\/drowning\/data-research\/facts\/index.html\">leading cause of death among children<\/a> ages one to four. Drownings happen <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/environmental-health-services\/swim-healthy\/draft-drowning-prevention\/\">quickly and silently<\/a>. In Virginia, on average, one person drowns every four days.<\/p>\n<p>RAHD reminds families to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Always watch kids in and around the water \u2013 and designate a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.safekids.org\/other-resource\/water-watcher-card\">water watcher<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li>Teach children how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.redcross.org\/take-a-class\/swimming\">swim<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 or sign them up for swim<\/li>\n<li>Know life-saving skills, including <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vdh.virginia.gov\/environmental-health\/environmental-health-services\/swim-healthy\/learn-lifesaving-skills\/\">CPR<\/a> \u00a0for adults and<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Visit <a href=\"http:\/\/www.swimhealthyva.com\/\">swimhealthyva.com<\/a>\u00a0for more information. Swim safe. Stay safe!<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"># # #<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>July 24, 2025 Media Contact: Erin Perkins, erin.perkins@vdh.virginia.gov Rappahannock Area Health District Offers Tips to Make Residential Pools Safe, Prevent Drownings World Drowning Prevention Day is July 25 FREDERICKSBURG, Va. \u2013 As World Drowning Prevention Day approaches, the Rappahannock Area Health District (RAHD) reminds families that residential pools are the leading location for accidental pool [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":444,"featured_media":0,"parent":12292,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"tags":[1058,967,327,1108],"class_list":["post-14524","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","tag-drowning-prevention","tag-pool-safety","tag-swimming","tag-world-drowning-prevention-day"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.1 - 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