Experts share pool safety advice for kids and parents as the summer season kicks off in Chicago

The Chicago area saw a major jump in temperatures last week. To beat the heat, families often head to the pool to cool down. And while it can be a fun day in the sun, it also poses dangers for drowning.

Drowning is the leading cause of death among children ages 1 to 4, according to the Consumer Products Safety Commission.

“But this is completely preventable,” said Red Cross of Illinois spokesperson Mara Thompson. “If swim lessons are involved, and if teaching water safety, that can actually go down by 88 percent. So, it is really important that parents are making sure they’re talking to their kids about water safety, that they’re getting them in those swim lessons.”

Thompson also warns that drowning often happens quiet and quick.

“It’s a little more silent and it happens in less than 60 seconds,” Thompson said. “So, you might not even realize it’s happening unless you’re keeping an eye on them and see them starting to go under water. You’re probably not going to see the flailing; you’re probably not going to see the screaming. If they’re drowning, they’re not going to have enough effort to be able to do those things.”

Swim lessons are often offered through local park districts. Many classes in the Chicagoland area run through July.

The Office of the Illinois State Fire Marshal suggests making sure kids swim with an adult or a buddy and encourages parents to stay off their phone while kids are in the water. Learning how to swim and learning CPR are also suggested.

Fire officials say the dangers are not just at public pools.

“Some of the calls we go to are at parties where adults are having a good time, and all it takes is a split second for the child to veer off into where people aren’t paying attention into danger,” said Winthrop Harbor Fire Department Chief Rocco Campanella.

Campanella suggests fencing backyard pools and using water sensors to alert any movement at the pool.

Lurie Children’s Hospital took several surveys in 2022 and 2023 regarding swim safety in Chicago. One survey asked more than 1,000 parents from all 77 communities about swim habits and found 33 percent of parents said their kids swim without an adult or lifeguard present ‘some of the time or more.’

A swim lesson survey found disparities among racial groups. Seventy-two percent of White children took swim lessons compared to just 46 percent of Black children and 47 percent of Latino children.