CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Labor Day weekend is one of the more frequent times for water incidents, according to Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation. They can be caused by fatigue, overheating and not following pool rules.
John Lennan, Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) media specialist, has some advice for parents when they visit the pool with their kids this weekend.
"The number one recommendation for parents around any water body with the children is always remember supervision, always have eye contact,” Lennan said. “If you can't see them, you can't save them."
Lennan said parents should watch their kids by the water both inside and outside the home. According to DFPS reports, kids ranging from less than a year old to at least 17 years old drowned in Texas this year.
According to Lennan, some kids are even more at risk.
"Children under five are the most vulnerable with close to 80% of all of our reports being children under the age of five," Lennan said..
Lennan's advice to parents is to appoint someone to supervise kids if they are in a group. He also recommends swimming lessons for families since knowing how to swim can save lives.
Corpus Christi Parks and Recreation has 48 lifeguards employed at their facilities during the summer. Aquatics Program Director Bonney Maurer said lifeguards can not let their guard down during Labor Day weekend.
"As people get comfortable in the water, they kind of forget some of the water safety things that we've really kind of hit up and start really paying attention to at the beginning of the summer," Maurer said.
She said they have American Red Cross lifeguards and water safety instructors. As someone who used to be a lifeguard for the City of Corpus Christi, Maurer said they enforce rules to keep everyone safe at the pool. Lifeguards also rotate every 20 minutes to make sure they are alert.
"We actually have them rotating a little bit quicker just because it still is hot, you know, they get tired,” Maurer said. “We want to make sure they're staying as focused as possible."
As summer ends, the city's pool schedule is also changing.
For Labor Day tomorrow, the H-E-B pool is open from 2 p.m.-7 p.m. The Salinas, Lindale, and West Haven Park splash pads are open from 8 a.m.-10 p-m.
Only the Collier Pool and Corpus Christi Natatorium are open year-round.
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