Expect the unexpected

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers this week promoted its Wear Your Life Jacket safety message. Among the corps' advice, "Expect the unexpected" and wear the right fit and type of life jacket.

It is almost an annual tragedy this time of year. As the weather warms, so does the water. When school is out, children and youth are outside playing. Inevitably, they are drawn to water, whether they can swim or not. Hence comes the horrible news of a drowning like the one in Winnsboro this week.

Inexperience and water do not mix.

This is Memorial Day weekend and many will be out on the water. Swimming, boating, fishing and skiing is a way of life in northeastern Louisiana. We are blessed to be surrounded by beautiful lakes and rivers. Yet we can easily take for granted the inherent danger that comes with it.

May is National Water Safety Month, but water safety is required 12 months a year. If possible, children – even adults – need to learn how to swim. The American Red Cross often teaches swimming lessons and there are private instructors available.

Backyard swimming pools are wonderful for fun with family and friends, but children should never be unsupervised around them. The Centers for Disease Control reports that for children, those ages 1 to 4 drown the most and most often in a home swimming pool. Even a small plastic wading pool poses a drowning threat to a small child.

For children ages 1 to 14 drowning deaths are second only to automobile crashes in unintentional injury-related deaths.

The corps reports it takes an adult 60 seconds to drown, a child 20 seconds and most drownings occur within 10 feet of safety.

If that doesn't make you reach for a life jacket or stay in the shallow water, nothing will.

We want to celebrate the beginning of summer with happiness and safety in and around the water. What we don't want is to report another life lost to drowning. Please, be careful out there.

The editorials in this column represent the opinions of The News-Star's editorial board, composed of General Manager and Executive Editor Kathy Spurlock, Engagement and Community Content Editor Hope Young, Watchdog and Storytelling Coach Mark Henderson and Business and Politics Reporter Greg Hilburn.