The Santa Clarita Aquatic Center made a splash for “Water Safety Day” on Saturday, showing children and adults the importance of what to do in case of a water emergency.
Being brought back after a decade, “Water Safety Day” is to help educate the public about how to safely be around, and in, the water.
Jacob Acosta, recreation coordinator for the Aquatic Center, said one piece of advice he had for the community was to educate themselves on water safety.
“The more that you know about water safety, the more equipped you are to handle an emergency and get through it safely and prevent them, really. The more that you educate yourself, the more you can prevent water emergencies,” Acosta said.
During the event, there were booths set up for the attendees on various topics pertaining to water safety like sun safety tips, calling 9-1-1, learning about cardiopulmonary resuscitation and getting an up-close look at a Los Angeles County Fire Department fire engine.
Each booth had lifeguards from the Aquatic Center give a presentation on the topic and, when they were done, participants received a stamp on a “Water Safety Day” stamp card.
Once all the boxes were stamped, participants received a free recreation swim pass for the summer.
One booth had a live demonstration on what lifeguards do in the pool if someone is drowning.
“The lifeguards are going to be conducting all of the training that they have to (do to) rescue patrons that are in distress in the water … they will demonstrate their ability to work together as a team to extricate people out of the water as quickly and safely as possible,” Acosta said.
Zac Cates, chief of Battalion 22 for the Fire Department, said the information people were getting from the event was not only important for the pool at the Aquatic Center, but also for pools all over the valley,
“You have to take this kind of education and take it to all the pools around in the valley. Which we’ve had issues with in the past, you know, drownings and things like that,” Cates said. “Lifeguards aren’t readily available at all those pools, you know what I mean? Like the HOA community-type pools and stuff like that. So, it is important to know what to do, if God forbid, something bad happens in the water.”
Cates said there are three things the community should always do in the event of a drowning – one was calling 9-1-1, which he proceeded to say he knew was obvious, two was to locate any automated external defibrillators (AEDs), and three was to always supervise children.
Girl Scouts Troop 613 joined the festivities to earn their “Daisies-level” safety pin.
“We wanted to make sure our girls were prepared both for summer and around water. I think it’s important that all children have an awareness of the dangers,” said Brigitte Gleadchenko, Girl Scouts troop leader of Troop 613.
Gleadchenko added that attending the “Water Safety Day” event was teaching the children to understand that accidents happen, and it is so important to know what to do in stressful situations.
“I think it’s important that the girls are carrying themselves in an appropriate manner in our community but showing support and raising awareness for others,” Gleadchenko said. “So that it’s not something to shy from. It’s an important foundational element, (for) their growth and development and for us as community members.”
