CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (WCIA) — Public pools across Central Illinois are welcoming visitors, and as temperatures rise, these pools are expected to become increasingly busy. Due to this, water parks are emphasizing the importance of swim safety.
Drowning ranks as the leading cause of accidental injury-related deaths for children aged 1 to 4 and is the second leading cause for children aged 5 to 14. Lifeguards at the Sholem Aquatic Center in Champaign stress that it is crucial for parents to actively supervise their kids.
“We have a lot of rules to keep our guests here safe, mainly to prevent drowning,” said pool manager Shaucka Taylor.
Taylor, who has been part of the team at the Sholem Aquatics Center in Champaign for five years, mentioned that they aim for everyone to enjoy their time at the water park, but making sure everyone stays safe is their primary concern.
“[The] moment where someone realizes they’re unable to get out of water, it’s about 30 seconds until they go underwater,” Taylor said.
“It’s really easy to get hurt in a pool situation,” said Eben Alguire. “There’s water everywhere, there are people moving around and playing, and there’s loud noises and things like that.”
Alguire said he and his family go to the pool often. When his kids were younger, he made sure they took swimming classes.
“Kids are out of school as of yesterday, so when we get a chance to go swimming, it’s a great thing for them to do because it’s entertaining, it keeps them outside,” Alguire said.
Hundreds of people will soon be hitting the water parks, private pools and lakes. Taylor said throughout her time working for Sholem, she’s dealt with a few drowning incidents.
“[It’s] scary to realize that person’s drowning, and I’m the one responsible for saving their lives,” Taylor said. “But since we do so much training, it’s like instinct.”
Each lifeguard goes through a two-week training course to make sure they’re capable of doing their job. Taylor said the best ways for people to stay safe are:
“Any kids who are not able to swim to wear lifejackets, we provide that,” Taylor said. “I also advise that parents keep a close eye on their kids and be aware of the depth markers.”
And if you don’t know how to swim, you can have fun in other ways.
“You can come to the pool and not know how to swim but still have a good time and be safe,” Taylor said. “Taking advantage of our lazy river or the shallower parts of the pool.”
