The summer holidays are a joyful period of the year, but it is also that time of the year where everyone needs to be extra cautious when it comes to the safety of your children, especially around water.
Water safety tips from Ekurhuleni metro:
• Never leave children alone near open water sources.
• Summer is a rainy season and many open unguarded water sources, such as trenches, culverts and rivers are filled with water and, therefore, pose the threat of drowning to children.
• Even playing in water inside, like in the bath, can be dangerous if water is breathed down the airway.
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• Never leave buckets and baths full of water and unattended if you have small children around.
• Wading and splash pools should be emptied when playtime is over.
• Teach children how to swim.
• Swimming pools must be fenced and the gate kept locked.
• A safety net covering the entire pool should be intact to prevent children of all ages from sneaking in without parents or adult supervision.
• Municipal pools, holiday resort pools and coastline swimming areas have lifeguards to assist in case of drowning, but drowning can happen even in small amounts of water so keep a close eye on children in these environments at all times.
• Wearing a properly fitting life jacket or inflatable swimming device is not 100 per cent safe; adults still need to supervise children.
• Never cross flooded bridges and rivers if the water is above ankle height.
• It is common practice for people to use water pipelines across rivers or streams as bridges, which is dangerous. Use appropriate alternative routes instead.
Be prepared for an emergency:
• Learn basic Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the Heimlich manoeuvre (abdominal thrusts) procedures.
• Know your local life-threatening emergency numbers wherever you are and ensure these are clearly displayed for everyone to access.
• Remain calm so that you are able to give the call operator the exact details of the emergency and your location.
• Keep a record of the reference number given by the call centre.
• Assemble a first-aid kit with emergency instructions and keep it close at hand.
• Teach your child how to contact emergency services.
Emergency contact numbers:
• Ekurhuleni Call Centre: 011 458 0911
• From a cellphone: 112
• National emergency number: 10177
• Numbers should be saved and easy to access on your landline or cellphone.
• Speak clearly on the phone when reporting an emergency.
• Provide the operators with all the necessary details required.
• Do not end the conversation until all questions are answered.
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