A year ago this month, Eric Moir nearly drowned while warming up for swim-team practice at Thorbecke's Parkside Fitness Center. He was practicing distance lengths underwater in the deep end of the Centralia pool when he lost consciousness and slipped to the bottom.
Two lifeguards had to pull Moir out of the water. He had hyperventilated and run out of oxygen. He said he still can't remember anything that happened during the nearly four days after the event he spent at Seattle's Harborview Medical Center.
Moir had broken Rosa Franco's golden rule of swimming safety: Know what you're doing before you do it. And don't just think you know how to do it, she said. Make sure you really do know how to do it.
"We get a lot of kids in here who think they know what they're doing," said Franco, a lifeguard and swimming instructor at Thorbecke's. "And a lot of parents come in who think their kids know how to swim, and they don't."
Water safety becomes increasingly important to remember every year at this time, when summer sun naturally draws people to the water. Memorial Day weekend heralds the beginning of outdoor recreation in Washington, and the coming of June marks the opening season for water-related accidents.
Just this week, two boys, one in Seattle and one in Portland, died from drowning-related accidents. The boy from Seattle survived for a week after he sank in Lake Washington while swimming with friends, but he eventually died from the accident on Wednesday. The 16-year-old from Portland was found drowned in the bottom of a health club pool the same day.
Lewis County has lost about one person each year for the past decade to drowning, according to the Washington State Department of Health. But this doesn't include the numbers of near-death accidents.
For each childhood drowning death in the United States, an estimated four children are hospitalized for near-drowning accidents, according to statistics from the National Children's Center for Rural and Agricultural Health and Safety. And children under 14 are most at risk for drowning.
The remarkable thing about drowning accidents is that in most cases they are completely avoidable, according to the Department of Health. Learning and following water safety tips are the best way to prevent accidents in, on or around water. And, as Franco suggested, even experienced swimmers should take precautions and know their limits.
"Water safety is very important," Franco said. "It's top priority around here. I would advise that everyone take swimming lessons. Even if you know the basics of how to swim, you can always get better."
Now is also the time of year for people to update their safety precautions around pools and brush up on cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid training, said Christina Baker, the health and safety administrator for the Lewis County chapter of the American Red Cross.
"Taking these training classes can help people prevent water accidents," she said. "We train people to take over a situation until EMTs arrive. With drowning accidents, timing is everything."
For information about Red Cross training programs, telephone 748-4607.
Water safety is not just about swimming tips, however. Many accidents occur while people are boating, fishing or doing other types of recreating near water.
The Lewis County Sheriff's Office has a marine patrol unit and education program designed to increase safety on many of the county's inland lakes. The two boats patrol Lake Mayfield and Riffe Lake, as well as Mineral Lake, Lake Scanewa, and the Chehalis and Cowlitz rivers.
For information online about Lewis County swimming and boating laws, visit http://www.co.lewis.wa.us/prosecutor/code.htm. The county rules for water safety and boating are under Title 10: Vehicles and Traffic.
Eric Moir learned the value of water safety last year. He had always been a safe and competent swimmer, but he learned that accidents can happen to anyone if people are not careful.
A year later, Moir is doing well. At 20, he is still part of Thorbecke's swimming team. He comes home from Washington State University to stay with his parents in Chehalis every summer so he can swim at Thorbecke's. In fact, he is now a certified lifeguard, and soon he will be teaching his first swimming lesson.
Thorbecke's offers swimming lessons at a wide range of times throughout the summer. Telephone 736-1683 for more information.
Dian McClurg covers rural south and west Lewis County for The Chronicle. She may be reached at 807-8239, or by e-mail at dmcclurg@chronline.com.
Safety Tips
Swimming is a great way to enjoy the summer in Lewis County, but remember these safety tips when in, on or around the water:
1. Learn to swim.
2. Never swim alone.
3. Swim only in supervised areas.
4. Obey all rules, signs and lifeguard instructions.
5. Don't mix alcohol and swimming.
6. Stop swimming at the first indication of bad weather.
7. Know how to prevent, recognize and respond to water emergencies.
8. Always model safe behavior.
9. Avoid the "dangerous too's":
Too tired. Too cold.
Too far from safety. Too much sun.
Too much strenuous activity.
The Red Cross offers swimming courses for people of any age and swimming ability. It also offers cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid training classes to help people be prepared for water emergencies. Telephone 748-4607 for information.
Tips courtesy of the Lewis County chapter of the American Red Cross.
