NORTHEAST MIAMI-DADE, FLA. (WSVN) – It’s a survival lesson every South Floridian needs.
Florida is ranked fifth in the U.S for drowning deaths, and with schools coming to a close soon, local leaders are spreading awareness for a safe summer in the water.
“Look behind me. What do you see? A great place to cool off,” Jim O’Connor with Miami-Dade Parks said.
Right before the summer season kicks in, Miami-Dade County officials launched a new safety campaign called SPLASH.
“It stands for Safety, Prevention, Learn to Swim, Awareness, Saving Lives and H2O,” Miami-Dade County Major Daniella Levine Cava said.
The county’s focus this summer is on safety.
“Too many children in our community don’t know how to swim and that has to change,” Levine Cava said.
Officials are urging all parents to enroll their children in county swim classes to prevent what happened to a family a few months ago.
Twins Alex and Andrew Paul both drowned in a canal in Northwest Miami-Dade after one tried to save the other.
Drowning is the leading cause of death in the U.S for children between 1 and 4 and the second leading cause of death for kids between 5 and 14.
“We’re here to tell you, your family doesn’t have to be next in line to become a statistic,” Miami-Dade County Fire Rescue Capt. Charles Francois said. “Give your children the opportunity to learn a skill that will save their lives.”
And even if your children do know how to swim, they say, nothing replaces active supervision.
“It’s not the time to be distracted by anything else,” said Melvina Duncan with Nicklaus Children’s Hospital. “Eyes on the water, eyes on our children.”
When it comes to swim lessons, there are scholarships for some of those swim classes, which could be free or discounted. To learn more, click here.
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