Nobody wants a tragedy. Here are some links to help you avoid one. Drownings happen quickly. 77% of children who drown are missing from sight for less than five minutes. The web has lots of resources to help you think about how to reduce your chance of a catastrophe.

TASK: You have volunteered to be part of your apartment complex's safety committee. You have been asked to make a set of rules for the apartment's swimming pool and a set of procedures to be followed to make the apartment safer. Explore the following websites. Take notes. Then meet with classmates to make a list of rules for the rules and a set of procedures for the pool. Make a poster or a flyer with the rules and a Word document with the procedures.

Home Hazards

You have to expect the unexpected and plan for it. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has a flyer on exactly that topic, "Plan for the Unexpected" ( www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/359.pdf ) that discusses how to reduce drowning dangers around your home. Here are a couple of statistics from handout that may bring home some of the issues:

• 47% of the drowning victims were last seen in the house. Door alarms, closed pool gates, and powered pool safety covers are part of a multiple-layer approach

A child can drown in the bathtub or a bucket of water. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC)has these tips to reduce danger. (www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04213.html )

Pools and spas pose a big threat to children. More young children die from drowning than any other cause. You really need multiple layers of protection to keep the unexpected tragedy from happening. The CPSC provides more tips for pool and spa safety. 

An Internet News article published on KCRA's website also stresses some of the same points with pictures and quotes, and links to other useful sites. 

There are some associations that are specifically dedicated to preventing drowning. 

National Drowning Prevention Alliance ( www.ndpa.org)

Drowning Prevention Association (drowningpreventionfoundation.us)

• Read the founder's moving story of how she lost her daughter and her son was severely disabled when their babysitter got sick and left them for just a few minutes to go to the bathroom