Preventing future memories

James Clements
Published: May 25, 2008

Memorial Day is appropriately a time to pause and remember those who have given their lives in defense of our country, and those who are serving today for that same cause. But across the country, a number of smaller ceremonies also commemorate the weekend.

In backyards everywhere, grills awaken from their winter hibernation to reclaim their spot of honor and service on our patios. Picnic baskets are lowered from their perches atop our closets and their corresponding plates and utensils cleaned and polished. And pool covers are solemnly and carefully folded, even if the result is not a tri-corner.

Like it or not, Memorial Day serves a dual purpose in our country: It’s a time to think about the past and the present, and a time to prepare for a four-month future of great food, hot weather and a refreshing swim.

It’s that last one that reminds me of a cause near and dear to my sister. You see, when the pools open, she’s confronted with the loss of life that comes not on the battlefield, but in the backyard.

Last year, for the Fourth of July, I asked everyone reading to please be cautious and safe while celebrating the day with fireworks. My sister, who works as a pediatric intensive care nurse in Jacksonville, Fla., wrote me the following e-mail later that week:

“As I sit here tonight in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit looking at yet our third drowning in two weeks and reading your article on firework safety, I wonder if you might write about the dangers of pools this summer.

“In the last month, since pools opened and kids started swimming we have had a total of seven drownings, four of which were near drownings and thankfully the children recovered well. However, then there are the three that have been lost.

“Two were teenagers who were developmentally delayed and no one was watching them, and the most recent is a 22-month-old. She pushed a flower pot in front of a gate to an aboveground pool to climb over (a trick she had watched her older siblings do multiple times) while her grandfather worked on the car. Before he knew it she was gone. She will not make it out of our unit, and as we begin to discuss organ donation and funeral plans, the grandfather will live with this forever in many, many ways.

“I do not mean to send you a morbid e-mail; however, I know that your column reaches many people. Families, neighbors, and friends with pools and many of them with children, all reading and learning from what you say. So if you could please write something about pools and water safety. As much as I love job security, I have enough patients without these poor kids and families.”

When I failed to do as she’d asked before the end of last summer, my sister e-mailed me in early April to ask me again. I let her know that while people might be thinking about pools in Florida, in Culpeper the topic wasn’t on our minds yet. Well, that changes this weekend.

I’d encourage you to start the summer by reviewing your own family’s pool safety rules. As my sister says, she’d be happy to be out of a job if it meant there’d be no more tragic memories made each summer.

James Clements is a Culpeper resident and independent columnist who appears each Monday.
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Pool safety tips from the American Red Cross

Learn to swim. The best thing anyone can do to stay safe in and around the water is to learn to swim — this includes adults and kids.

Never leave a child unobserved around water. Your eyes must be on the child at all times. Adult supervision is recommended.

Install a phone by the pool or keep a cordless phone nearby so you can call 911 in an emergency.

Learn Red Cross CPR: Insist that babysitters, grandparents and others who care for your child know CPR.

Keep basic lifesaving equipment by the pool and know how to use it. Pole, rope and personal flotation devices are recommended.

Keep toys away from the pool when it is not in use. Toys can attract young children into the pool.

If a child is missing, check the pool first. Go to the edge of the pool and scan the entire pool, bottom, and surface, as well as the surrounding pool area.