Safety first: Things you need to remember near the pool or ocean

BEFORE YOU DIP IN. LAILA THOMPSON LOVES TO BE NEAR THE POOL. IN FACT, SHE OFFICIALLY LEARNED HOW TO SWIM LAST SUMMER. I COULD NOT SWIM. I WAS SCARED AT THE DEEP END. YOU HAVE WATER PARKS AND SLIDES. I WAS SCARED. IF I DIDN’T, IF I COULDN’T STAND UP, I JUST WAS LIKE, I DON’T KNOW. I DON’T KNOW HOW TO GET OUT. SHE LEARNED AT THE FORUM SWIM CLUB IN BALTIMORE COUNTY AND HER DAUGHTER JORDAN, IS CURRENTLY TAKING LESSONS THERE, TOO. THOMPSON THINKS THAT’S A SKILL THAT EVERYONE WHO GOES NEAR WATER SHOULD KNOW OR BRUSH UP ON, ESPECIALLY AS POOLS BEGIN TO OPEN. SHE WANT TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE IN DANGER. IT’S ONE THING TO PUT YOUR CHILD IN THE POOL AND SAY, HEY, GO AHEAD AND HAVE FUN, BUT YOU WANT THEM TO KNOW WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU’RE IN THE WATER, HOW TO SAVE YOURSELF, HOW TO GET OUT. ACCORDING TO THE CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL, THE US SEES AN ESTIMATED 4000 DEADLY UNINTENTIONAL DROWNINGS IN THE COUNTRY EVERY YEAR. THAT’S AN AVERAGE OF 11 DROWNING DEATHS PER DAY. THE CDC ALSO SAYS THAT MORE CHILDREN AGES 1 TO 4 DIE FROM DROWNING THAN ANY OTHER CAUSE OF DEATH. PEOPLE GET EXCITED AROUND WATER AND UNFORTUNATELY THEY TEND TO FORGET SOMETIMES THAT THE WATER IS GOING TO HOLD EVERYBODY ACCOUNTABLE. THE SAME. READY? GO. MARVIN THORPE IS THE OWNER OF THE FORUM SWIM CLUB. HE’S SHARING SOME BASIC THINGS TO REMEMBER. IF YOU PLAN TO JUMP IN. NO RUNNING, NO DRUGS, NO HACKING, NO SMOKING. DO NOT SWIM DURING AN ELECTRICAL STORM. DO NOT SWIM BY YOURSELF. ALL THOSE THINGS THAT MAY NOT NECESSARILY INVOLVE IN THE WATER ARE VERY HELPFUL TO KNOW IF YOU’RE AROUND THE WATER. FOR THOMPSON, IT’S ABOUT KEEPING HERSELF AND HER DAUGHTER SAFE. I WANTED TO FEEL SAFE WITH HER BEING IN THE POOL AND HER KNOWING WHAT TO DO IF ANYTHING HAPPENS AND SHE’S IN DANGER, PLEASE PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR CHILDREN AND DO NOT LET THEM OUT OF YOUR SIGHT BECAUSE THINGS CAN CHANGE IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE AND HERE IN BALTIMORE, PARK POOLS WILL OPERATE ON A WEEKEND SCHEDULE STARTING THIS WEEKEND, AND THEN THEY’LL SHIFT TO A SEVEN DAY SCHEDULE STARTING ON JUNE 15TH. REPORTING LI

If you're planning on hitting the beach or the pool this Memorial Day weekend, swim experts are reminding you to play it safe.Lakia Thompson loves being near the pool. She just learned how to swim last summer."I could not swim. I was scared of the deep end. You had water parks and slides, I was scared. If I couldn't stand up, I was like, 'I don't know how to get out,'" she said.She learned how at the 4M Swim Club in Baltimore County, and her daughter, Jordan, is currently taking lessons there too.Thompson thinks swimming is a skill everyone who goes near the water should know or at least brush up on, especially as pools begin to open."You want to know what to do when you're in danger. It's one thing to put your child in a pool and say, 'Go and have fun,' but you want them to know what to do when you're in the water, how to save yourself (and) how to get out," she said.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. sees an estimated 4,000 deadly, unintentional drownings every year. That is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.The CDC also says more children ages 1-4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.Marvin Thorpe is the owner of 4M Swim Club."People get excited around water and they seem to forget sometimes the water is going to hold everyone accountable the same," Thorpe said.He shared some basic things to remember if you plan to jump in."No running, no drugs, no alcohol, no smoking, do not swim in an electrical storm, do not swim by yourself — all those things that may not involve being in the water are helpful to know if you're around the water," Thorpe said.For Thompson, it's about keeping herself and her daughter safe."I wanted to feel safe with her being in the pool and her knowing what to do if anything happens and she's in danger," she said. "Pay attention to your children. Do not let them out of your sight because things can change in the blink of an eye."In Baltimore, park pools will operate on a weekend schedule starting this weekend, and move to a seven-day schedule starting June 15.

BALTIMORE —

If you're planning on hitting the beach or the pool this Memorial Day weekend, swim experts are reminding you to play it safe.

Lakia Thompson loves being near the pool. She just learned how to swim last summer.

"I could not swim. I was scared of the deep end. You had water parks and slides, I was scared. If I couldn't stand up, I was like, 'I don't know how to get out,'" she said.

She learned how at the 4M Swim Club in Baltimore County, and her daughter, Jordan, is currently taking lessons there too.

Thompson thinks swimming is a skill everyone who goes near the water should know or at least brush up on, especially as pools begin to open.

"You want to know what to do when you're in danger. It's one thing to put your child in a pool and say, 'Go and have fun,' but you want them to know what to do when you're in the water, how to save yourself (and) how to get out," she said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. sees an estimated 4,000 deadly, unintentional drownings every year. That is an average of 11 drowning deaths per day.

The CDC also says more children ages 1-4 die from drowning than any other cause of death.

Marvin Thorpe is the owner of 4M Swim Club.

"People get excited around water and they seem to forget sometimes the water is going to hold everyone accountable the same," Thorpe said.

He shared some basic things to remember if you plan to jump in.

"No running, no drugs, no alcohol, no smoking, do not swim in an electrical storm, do not swim by yourself — all those things that may not involve being in the water are helpful to know if you're around the water," Thorpe said.

For Thompson, it's about keeping herself and her daughter safe.

"I wanted to feel safe with her being in the pool and her knowing what to do if anything happens and she's in danger," she said. "Pay attention to your children. Do not let them out of your sight because things can change in the blink of an eye."

In Baltimore, park pools will operate on a weekend schedule starting this weekend, and move to a seven-day schedule starting June 15.

Safety first: Things you need to remember near the pool or ocean

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