Toddlers (ages 1-4) wandering off. The most common scenario involves an under-supervised child wandering off during a weekend family gathering – with several adults present but none designated as the official “child watcher” – and falling into a body of water (like a pool, stream, pond, creek, or irrigation ditch). In some cases, the child was thought to be indoors but had managed to get out of the house undetected.

Teens (frequently males) swimming with friends at a reservoir or lake. Many of these deaths are “witnessed” drownings, where friends or family members see the victim go under the water and are unable to rescue them. Overestimating swimming abilities and peer pressure to take risks are thought to be factors in these deaths.

Infants left unattended in bathtubs. These drownings also include cases where an infant was left alone in a bathtub with an older brother or sister.

Drowning can happen even when a child is being supervised. Many people don’t realize that drowning is often silent. This means someone who is drowning is not able to shout for help or grab onto something. When they come above water they only have time to inhale and exhale. It is important, especially for parents of young children, to be able to identify signs of a drowning child.

Tips to keep kids safe in the water:

• Children can drown in as little as one inch of water. Make sure to prevent children from gaining access to areas of the house where water is present (i.e. bathtubs, sinks, and toilets). Never leave an infant or young child alone in the bathtub or with “older” siblings.
• When not in use, drain and keep kiddie pools and buckets out of reach from children.
• Actively supervise children in and around bathtubs, pools and open bodies of water, giving undivided attention, and watching for signs of drowning.
• If several adults are present, designate a "child watcher" to watch children in and around the water. Adults should take turns so everyone can have fun and stay safe.
• No matter where children might swim, teach them to always swim with an adult. Even older, more experienced swimmers should swim with a partner. Teach kids when they are young that they should never go around water without an adult present.
• Warn teenagers of the risks of overestimating how well they swim. Even experienced swimmers can drown.
• Learn CPR. Being able to perform CPR if needed is an essential skill that every parent should have to be able to use if needed.
• Wear a life jacket. Especially out in open water a life jacket will help give children and adults extra support in the water. Even expert swimmers should wear a life jacket.
• Have everyone wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket while on a boat or during water sports. Children should also wear a life jacket when near open bodies of water.
• If you are having a hard time locating your child, check areas where they might gain access to water first.
• Install a carbon monoxide detector aboard houseboats.
• Never dive into unknown or shallow waters.
• Enclose pools and hot tubs with self-closing and locking gates/fences.
• Visit Safekids.org for more age appropriate tips for your child.

Help improve your agency and emergency department’s readiness to take care of pediatric patients and participate in a national quality improvement project!

The national EMS for Children program, with the help of the National EMSC Data Analysis Research Center (NEDARC), will be launching two national surveys in 2020.

The 2020 EMS Annual Data Collection started on January 7, 2020. The survey for your state is now open for respondents at emscsurveys.org. This survey asks basic demographic information about each agency including number of staff, level of certification, annual number of calls, number of pediatric calls, as well as critical information about whether your agency has a Pediatric Champion or Pediatric Emergency Care Coordinator (PECC). It will also ask what kind and how often agencies do skills checking on pediatric equipment. Please ensure someone in your agency completes this survey. It is important for us to see how Utah agencies are doing in general and how we compare with similar agencies across the country.

The data collection will run through March 31, 2020.

June 2020, the National Pediatric Readiness Project will launch the 2020 Assessment. This assessment will be sent to nurse managers and medical directors of all emergency departments across the country to evaluate structural processes and policies in place to be ready for pediatric patients. Those who take the assessment will get immediate feedback with a gap report comparing your score with previous scores (if taken in the past) and comparing you with similar emergency departments across the country. These scores have been linked to outcomes such as mortality from critical illness, and participation in the project is very important for the Utah Department of Health to better understand the state of pediatric preparedness in Utah.

The all-new Fourth Edition of Pediatric Education for Prehospital Professionals (PEPP) will be available soon! Check out free sample content or pre-order your copy today: https://hubs.ly/H0mQGRV0. If you have any questions about the new Fourth Edition materials please email pepp@aap.org. Continue to watch www.peppsite.com for additional information.

EMSC Pediatric Education for Prehospital Providers

Register online at peppsite.org. Look up classes in Utah and find the one that works for you. Once you find the class, go to jblearning.com, and look up pepp als in the search tool. Purchase the number ($18.95). Return to peppsite.org to register for the class and follow the prompts.

If you have any questions, please email Erik Andersen at eandersen@utah.gov or text/call 435-597-7098. Continue to watch the website for additional classes.