How to prevent drowning: Summer water safety

• Many people do not recognize the signs of drowning%2C says new research from the Red Cross
• Drowning is fifth among the leading causes of unintentional injury death in the United States
• Children need to be actively supervised at all times when they are in or near water
• The Red Cross says that five essential water-safety skills can save lives and cut the drowning rate

When Francesco Pia was a lifeguard at Orchard Beach in the Bronx, he saw two children who were drowning — as their unknowing parents stood 15 feet away.

"They were looking directly at them and didn't realize what was going on,'' says Pia, a drowning-prevention educator who lives in Larchmont. "I pushed past them and grabbed the children and brought them into a safe water depth, and the parents were absolutely stunned. They could not believe their children were in trouble."

Research from the American Red Cross finds that 93 percent of people are unable to identify the correct order of steps for helping a swimmer in danger — and nearly two-thirds of children cannot perform the water-safety skills that can save their lives.

Drowning happens silently, says Jennifer Paolicelli, a longtime water-safety instructor from Mahopac. "People slip under and that's the end of it," she explains.

Adds Pia: "It's the rule, rather than the exception, that the person who is drowning will be surrounded by people who are unaware that a drowning is taking place."

According to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning is responsible for more deaths among children 1 to 4 than any other cause except birth defects. From ages 1 to 14, fatal drowning is the second leading cause of unintentional injury related death behind car crashes.

Kim and Stew Leonard Jr. lost their 21-month old son in a drowning accident in 1989 when the family was on vacation in the Caribbean. A year later, they founded the Stew Leonard III Water Safety Foundation, which has since raised more than $1 million for water-safety awareness and education.

"Looking back, I wish I hadn't been so naive," says Kim Leonard, who grew up in California near the water. "Up until that point, I didn't realize how dangerous it could be."

The couples' book, "Stewie the Duck Learns to Swim," teaches kids how to be safe near the water. They also introduced a free "Stewie the Duck" app, which reinforces the water-safety message.

"When you have a young child who doesn't know how to swim, you need to be on guard,'' says Kim, whose son would have turned 28 this year. "I assumed Stew was watching him and he assumed I was watching him."

Paolicelli, who runs a swimming program called Aquabilities with Jennifer, stresses the importance of paying full attention when children are in the water — or around other hazards, including buckets, toilet bowls, wading pools and bathtubs.

Backyard-pool drownings happen most often due to a lapse in supervision, says Pia.

Nonswimmers should not use inflatable "water wings," as they can deflate or fall off, and provide parents with a false sense of security, says Paolicelli.

"We're trying to push active vigilance with parents, so they're actively watching their kids, not sitting by the pool reading a book, texting on their phone, checking their Facebook page or running inside to go to the bathroom, even if their children are swimmers,'' she says.

Her two-year-old daughter knows she's not allowed to get into a pool unless "mommy's feet are in the pool" and she's watching her. "Even at a young age, you tell kids, 'If there's a toy in the pool, you do not get it. Mommy gets it,'" she adds.

Pia's 1970 film, "On Drowning" — which won "Best Aquatic Safety Film" at a 2012 festival run by the International Swimming Hall of Fame — shows real incidents at Orchard Beach where drowning swimmers were rescued successfully. Drowning can happen very quickly, says Pia, and often the only sign is a flapping arm movement that looks as if the person is pressing down on a table.

People who are drowning don't generally call for help or fight off the person who tries to save them, he says.

"If we're going to tell parents and water watchers and counselors to be at the pool and watch their children, we have to tell them the signs of drowning,'' says Pia, who calls the flapping arm movements an "instinctive response" to drowning.

Parents or caregivers need to be close to young children when they're in the water, adds Pia. "You should always be able to reach out and grab the child,'' he says. "That's called touch supervision."

By raising awareness of water safety, Kim Leonard hopes to spare others the pain of losing a child to an accident that could have been prevented, she says.

"The water can be a really therapeutic, wonderful, fun place to be, but only if you take the proper safety precautions,'' adds Paolicelli.

Key water-safety skills from the American Red Cross

Children, teens and adults should be able to do the following, in this order:

•Jump or step into water over the head

•Return to the surface and float or tread water for one minute

•Turn around in a full circle and find an exit

•Swim 25 yards to the exit, and get out

•In a pool, be able to get out of the water without a ladder

Water-safety tips

•Swim in designated areas supervised by lifeguards

•Always swim with a buddy

•Wear a life jacket while boating, even if you know how to swim

•Install barriers around home pools and hot tubs

•Actively supervise children in or around water. Always stay within arms' reach of young children

•Reach or throw aid to distressed swimmers. Don't go yourself

•Keep toys not in use away from the pool and out of sight

Source: American Red Cross

Twitter: @LindaLombroso