For Karen Cohn, water safety is a personal mission after the devastating loss of her little boy.
"I lost my son, Zachary, just about 15 years ago," she said. "He was six-years-old and he was a really strong swimmer."
Cohn says her son's arm became stuck in the pool drain.
"He was held underwater and we could not release him," she said.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission says, on average, about 400 kids under the age of 15 die in the U.S. every year from drowning. What's more; the number of non-fatal drownings spiked 17 percent last year with nearly 7,000 kids being sent to the hospital.
There is concern those numbers will only get worse given that so many kids missed out on swim lessons over the past two years due to the pandemic.
"We encourage layers of protection as a first level," said CPSC Chairman Alexander Hoehn-Saric. "When you have kids at the pool or even near the water, you have somebody there who's a designated water watcher. Somebody who's paying attention to the kids, not their phone or reading a book. Because these drownings can happen really quickly and quietly, too."
Hoehn-Saric says to make sure pools have proper fencing and alarms if possible. And it's also ideal if someone on-site is trained in CPR.
"It should be a fun time," Hoehn-Saric said. "A time for family and friends going in the water and having a good time. We want to avoid these tragedies."
Cohn thought she had taken all of the right precautions. She said the dangers of a loose drain cover are not often even considered when thinking about swim safety. The only way to free someone who becomes trapped, like her son, is to shut off power to the pool pump.
"Often times, very inexpensively, you can add an emergency shutoff switch which is right next to the pool," she said. "It has a big red button on it and all you have to do is press it should someone become entrapped."
Cohn encourages families to tell children never to swim close to a drain, tie back long hair and never wear loose-fitting clothing in the water.
And now that swim lessons are being offered again, sign your family up as soon as possible.
For more information about water safety from the CPSC, click here.
For more information about Cohn's foundation, click here.
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