Drowning Warriors Podcast

Photo courtesy of ABC 22 and Fox 45 Dayton Ohio

In today's episode, I'm talking about an accident that took place in a river just down the road from my home. You read the title right and I'm sure you're asking the same questions I asked when I first had this come across my newsfeed as it was taking place. Before everyone rushes to judgment, let me say this. I was a parent who lost a child to drowning when she was 3 just 8 feet in front of a lifeguard. While both are very different but as a parent who has lost a child to drowning it's what we don't know "That is where we start". Drowning doesn't discriminate and it doesn't care what you know or what you don't know. With that being said Layers of protection in pools and open bodies of water and that includes rivers have to be in place. Know your risks and wear a life jacket that's age-appropriate.

I was a parent that said after his daughter drowned why I didn't know these things. Just as this mother and family didn't know. Yes, there are so many unanswered questions. I talk about many of these in this episode.

As of today Thursday, July 25, 2019, reports from people say the child had a life vest on however authorities aren't stating whether or not she did and no child or infant life vest was discovered. This drowning is under current investigation and we will be bringing some experts to follow up on this drowning as I believe that these happen more than most people may know.

There was a stainer down the river and this is where they were ejected from the canoe and the infant child also was ejected and the mother was unable to hold on and at that time the child went under the water and must have been caught in the swift current caused by the water level and the strainer.

The definition of a strainer is as follows.: An obstruction allows water to pass through but stops and holds objects such as boats and people. Bouncing twigs may indicate a partially submerged strainer. Many and most of the time these are down trees.

What is classified as a STRAINER

Now with that being said, You must understand the risks and dangers of the water you are navigating. Know where it is safe to get in and to get out of the water. That all people have the proper fitting USG ( U.S. Coast Guard) approved life jacket on and that must be for children and infants and if not present then you DO NOT ENTER THE WATER no matter what type of craft and waterway you are on that goes for rivers, lakes, oceans. these are considered open bodies of water that would also include ponds streams and retention ponds, drainage ditches anywhere that water may be.

Read and what the ABC and FOX 45 report

Listen to this episode to hear more about this.

Make sure you subscribe to our podcast Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Leave a comment below or feel free to record a short 90-second question or comment and let us know how we're doing

https://www.rippleaffect.co/

Today's podcast is with Wesley King he has over 20 years of aquatic management experience. Wes has a degree in Communication from Western Illinois University, with minors and marketing and sociology. He started his career as a lifeguard in 1995 and became the manager of a brand new (and largest water park in central Illinois in 1998. From there this experience has ranged from leading aquatic departments with park districts, JCC's, YMCA's, hotel pools, the Wilderness Resort (largest year-round water park in the U.S), and most recently certified medical fitness facilities. Wesley is the Chair of the Education Committee and a Lead Examiner for the Medical Fitness Association. He is a 5-time national presenter for MFA and Club Industry, both in-person and as webinars.

Listen to this episode to hear and learn more

Wesley King Aquatic Consulting

His services range from basic risk management assessment all the way to a full review of daily operations. This includes staff training, customized tool-kits for aquatic leadership, program evaluation and support as well as full integration with your facility, your non-aquatic staff, and your community.No matter the size, shape, or pool issue he can help. Wesley King and his national network of aquatic leaders specialize in personalized support of aquatic management. Whether you're a 1-guard indoor community pool or a full-service fitness center/park district - he can help! Wesley King has created safety training programs for the largest year-round water park in the United States, as well as revenue growth for many local community pools.

To reach Wesley you can contact him via email at [email protected] Give Wesley a call directly at 224-698-0828

Connect with Wesley on LinkedIn or go to Wesley's website and bookmark it to reference it later and again when needed

Wesley was talking in this episode about water quality and other types of systems, here is the link to TMI Sustainable Aquatics that he mentioned.

About TMISince 1995, TMI has specialized in the 'greening' of aquatic facilities, specifically pertaining to water & air quality. TMI has assembled an integrated product range consisting of commercial chlorine generators, UV Systems and chemistry controllers that are both sturdy and innovative, the cutting edge of aquatic technology. TMI has successfully assisted hundreds of commercial aquatic centers and facilities to create healthier and more sustainable aquatic centers. It's time to make your swimming pool crystal clear!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keQ7Cp6uzvg

Make sure to subscribe to our podcast plus connect with us via our social media channels Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram and Twitter

Please feel free to leave a comment below or just record a short 90-second message and we just may play that on a future podcast. Until next time be safe to enjoy the water and learn to swim. Remember that education is the key to success if you don't know then ask or ask us or one of our experts that we have spotlighted here on our podcast.

In today's podcast, we are talking with Allison Hogue, She is a mother who found herself living in Florida surrounded by water and putting her children right in the middle of a death trap. She took the steps to make sure her children had the skills to self-rescue. Now she finds herself teaching and educating children and parents on the importance of learning how to float and save their lives.

Allison now operates Pediatric Survival Swim Click here to join her Facebook Page

Allison is the founder of Pediatric Survival Swim. She has a Bachelors Degree in Early Childhood Education from MSU. Allison has training and experience with children who have disabilities and special needs. She's a home-school mom of 4 beautiful children. I have extensive Self-Reliance Swim training and well as CPR and first aid certifications. Teaching infants and children to be able to survive in the unforgiving water is what drives her passion for her business. Safe swimming for your family. Now serving the Hillsborough County area.

Pediatric Survival Swim is a company that proudly provides survival swim courses for children ages 1-8 in the Hillsborough County area.  Drowning is the number 1 cause of death among children ages 1-4 in the United States and according to the USA Swim Foundation, Florida has more occurrences than any other state. In 2018, Hillsborough County leads the state with the most infant/child drownings. 

Allison's Pediatric Survival Swim offers a private 1 on 1 instructional course that focuses on self-reliance in the water. Courses are customized to fit the needs and skills of each child. Each course teaches swim-float or swim-float-swim survival methods, aquatic problem solving, and confidence building. 

Allison's Website - https://www.pediatricsurvivalswim.com/

You can email Allison with questions or comments at [email protected]

To learn more about our water safety revolution and how you can be part of our inner circle and grow your contact, networks, tell your story and further your mission taking your online efforts to offline conversations. Set a quick 15-minute-call

Make sure you subscribe to our podcast Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Leave a comment below or feel free to record a short 90-second question or comment and let us know how we're doing

We are talking with Bobby Hazen Founder at End Drowning Now and Owner & Manager at Saf-T-Swim his mission is to educate & teach safer behavior to parents/caregivers and children about the dangers and risks associated with being in, on, or near any open water. Bobby has a challenge for you and here is what he is asking you to participate in. He challenges you to take part in the 3rd annual Lifeguard Nose Day June 30th, 2019 Instructions: Take a pic any day with zinc on your nose post on Jun 30th #lifeguardnoseday #reesspechtthewater #enddrowningnowand challenge 3 others to do the same. o to the event Lifeguard Nose Day

LONG ISLAND’S #1 SWIM SCHOOL & LEADER IN WATER SAFETY EDUCATION

Saf-T-Swim Swim Schools are a year-round swim school with 13 location dedicated to teaching people how to love and respect the water. Their many facilities on Long Island offer unique and fun programs for infants to adults. Also at Saf-T-Swim, there're dedicated to providing every student with a safe, attentive, fun environment to learn lifelong swimming skills

The schools caring, dedicated, teachers specialize in Individual (1-on-1) and Baby & Me lessons. Furthermore, many of their students who begin as infants continue swimming with us for many years, working their way through our various swim levels and programs at Saf-T-Swim swim schools.

In this episode, Bobby is talking about an educational program where they partner with various organization 1 being Stop Drowning Now with their Safer 3 Program for schools and Rees Specht the Water education with Saf-T-Swim School and End Drowning Now. Check out this short 6-minute video that they have put together in partnership with Rees Specht Life Cultivate Kindness and follow Rees as he learns about water safety.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jio1fwUi-qI

Make sure you get over and check out their websites and programs and hit Bobby up to come to your school and present their program and together we can be a loud voice to get the message of water safety and the importance to learn to swim for all ages. However, get your children started early.

Make sure you subscribe to our podcast Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and Instagram Leave a comment below or feel free to record a short 90-second question or comment and let us know how we're doing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFSOblRgJ7U&t=8s

Today there will be a family that woke up and everything is just great, by the end of the day, they will know my pain and so many others. My daughter drowned, how could that happen? This all happened 26 years ago. This Saturday it will be 26 years since my daughter drowned in a pool

Listen to this episode I'm going to tell you my whole story. I'm not going to hold back.

If you have ever suffered a loss like this just a warning there may be triggered in this podcast that could trigger an emotion that you may not want to experience. However, others need to understand that it can happen to them in a blink of the eye.

My mission is to save 185,000 lives from fatal drowning worldwide and over 1 Million lives from nonfatal drownings each year by June 15th, 2029. The message needs to change and how we deliver that message.

Let's Start a Water Safety revolution Learn To Swim

If you Can't Swim Don't Go In™ let's start a Water Safety Revolution. Together we can do this.

Subscribe to our podcast and follow us on our social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn Leave a comment below or record your comment or question would love to hear from you.

If you would like your own Drowning Warrior Mug click the link below.

Drowning Warrior Coffee Mug

Melanie reached out to me Sunday to share this story to those who are following us. I felt it was important to do a special podcast today to honor with what she has created in her husband memory.

Please take the time to listen to this episode and Click Here to read the article. Melanie a dear friend that I had the opportunity to meet last year at the NDPA conference in Tampa and again we met up in New Orleans. The heroic efforts of her husband Ken saved a life of a boy swimming in the gulf off the coast of Florida who's life was saved. This day was known as Black Sunday 16 years ago. Many lives lost to rough water and rip currents. Know the risks and what to do before you go. Melanie has created the Ken Brindley Memorial Foundation (wise water safe swimmer) to promote water safety while raising funds to implement prevention measures, including vouchers for free swimming lessons and life jacket sharing stations. I want to honor her and her family as they remember her Husband and Father who gave so much so others can survive as she gives a voice to those who no longer have a voice

Melanie Brindley doesn’t think of her husband, who died 16 years ago after heroically saving a young boy from drowning. She is honoring his memory and his Good Samaritan personality as a determined advocate for water safety.

“Drowning is a world health epidemic,” Melanie said. “It crosses all ages and it doesn’t discriminate at all – for economics, color or race. Anyone can drown, but we say there are layers of protection that can help prevent it.”

Click here to connect with her on Facebook

For more information on the Foundation or local efforts to help prevent drowning, visit the Ken Brindley Memorial Foundation page on Facebook or email Melanie at [email protected]. A website is being created for the Foundation – swimsafety.org

Subscribe to our podcast. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.

Would love to hear from you record a message or just leave a comment in our comment section below.

Sharil has committed to showing up every day with a Facebook live titled Lifeguard Your Littles. Sharil's son Andrew had a nonfatal drowning when he was 4 years old on August 10, 2005. She had participated in mommy and me swim classes with her son. Feeling that these were enough to teach him how to swim. Until, following his 4th birthday, they signed him up for a field trip. After signing the paperwork and releases. She had found out this was to a public pool. Shortly after her son arrived she received a phone call that her son had drowned and that they were performing CPR.

You'll want to listen to this episode as she tells the whole story only a mother can tell.

She has researched so much on nonfatal drownings. She then realized just how big the problem was. Like many parents, she asked the same questions, why I didn't know any of this?

She has been showing up every day this month of May as it's water safety month. She is doing 31 days of Facebook Lives. Titled Lifeguard Your Littles. You can find her via the hashtag #lifeguardyourlittles

We talked about so many different topics about water safety. She believes that if her son Andrew had the skill to be able to float that this could of made all the difference.

Connect with Sharil on her Facebook page and check out her Facebook Lives Lifeguard Your Littles. Click Here to connect and send a friend request.

Subscribe to our podcast. Connect and follow us via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Leave a comment below or better yet record your comment and send it to us and we just may share on a future episode.

In this episode of our weekly spotlight I'm talking with Jevon Marc Atkinson he attended the Olympics in 2004 and 2008 representing Jamaica. Let me say that Marc has a very interesting story that took him all the way to the Olympics. You'll have to listen to this episode so he can tell you in his words.

There are many years that separate Marc and I . (Let me just say I'm older but the better looking one LOL) However, with all joking aside. We realized that even though we grew up in different times and different countries with different challenges that we are so much alike. We both feel that it is the work that we put in when we were striving for something bigger than us. In the end, he is an Olympic swimmer and I'm a father who lost a daughter to a drowning. At the end of the day, we both realize that there are problems around us that we may have no control over. But there is one thing we do know. That is we can go to work with a goal in mind and accomplish whatever it is that you want.

Make sure to tune in to this episode as Marc will give you all great information as we share what may be things to come in the near future.

Connect with Marc via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn

Also follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Subscribe to our podcast and leave a comment below or better yet record your comment or question We both would love to hear from you.

https://colinshope.org/quiz

In today episode we are talking with Alissa Magrum of Colin's Hope about drowning prevention education and so much more. As we had some time during a lunch break at the NDPA conference that was held in New Orlean April 15-18 to talk with Alissa all about Colin's Hope along with all the drowning prevention education, the great work they are doing not only in their backyard but all across the country and their water safety quiz has been taken in 24 other countries. She'll share with you what all they are doing, plus if you are not currently attending the NDPA conference why you should be and connect with others work on water safety and drowning prevention education. It has to start someplace. Why not there.

Colin’s Hope was formed in 2008 after four-year-old Colin Holst tragically drowned in a public pool, with lifeguards on duty and family members present. Their mission is to raise water safety awareness to prevent children from drowning. Drowning is the #1 cause of accidental death for children under 5 and a leading cause for ages 1-14. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for each fatal drowning incident, five more children receive emergency care for submersion injuries. While no-one is drown-proof, drowning IS preventable Read about Colin's story

Alissa is a very active advocate serving many different programs and organizations when it comes to water safety and drowning prevention education. Active Leadership PositionsAdvisory Board Member, National Drowning Prevention Alliance Board Member, Texas Drowning Prevention Alliance Member At Large, Safe Kids Austin BoardCo-Chair, Central Texas Water Safety CoalitionFounding member, Families United to Prevent DrowningParks and Recreation Committee Member, City of Lakeway Co-Founder. Swim MIssion HondurasExpedition School Fund, Board MemberXTERRA Athlete Ambassador Team Do Awesome, Founding Member, Women’s Charity Race Team

Alissa has put a challenge out to you. Go to colinshope.org/quiz to take Colin's Hope Safety Quiz. After completing the quiz in the comment section add the hashtag #dwcolinshope and share that on social media challenging another person to go and take the quiz.

"Have The Best Day Ever"Colin always said make this day the Best Day Ever

Here are some of the link to sites that Alissa had mentioned in the podcast Aquaman Pools, Latham Pool Products It's the drowning prevention education that they support and add value to their customer by sending out to the public to educate them about water safety.

Connect with Alissa via their website at Colin's Hope - https://colinshope.org. Plus you can connect via their social media links Facebook, Alissa's on Twitter, Colin's Hope on Twitter, Alissa on Instagram, Colin's Hope on Instagram and LinkedIn also you can email for additional info at [email protected]

Again make sure you go to colinshope.org/quiz and take the safety quiz and in the comment section leave your comment with the hashtag #dwcolinshope and then post on social media the hashtag and challenge another person to take the challenge also.

Subscribe to our podcast and connect with us on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn

Leave a comment below or record your comment or question and we'll get it on a future episode of our podcast.

It's May 2nd and it's the start of Water Safety Month. A big part of water safety is knowing how to perform CPR. We are talking with the founder of Rapid Oxygen Richard Imbruce. He is going to let you know the "The largest benefit of the R15 during CPR is that it lets the rescuer focus of compressions." Discount code good till June 30, 2019, use Rick19 and remember they will donate to our charity of choice that is Hope Floats when you add the R15 to your location

Their technology Generates Safe, Portable, Non-Explosive Oxygen, Permitted Anywhere…And it Floats! Replaces Explosive Oxygen Cylinder Goes where Oxygen Cylinders are Not Permitted by Law!

“Oxygen can be a critical response to many emergency situations and can be an effective first aid technique to prevent shock and cardiac arrest.”

Read the product overview

The R15 is a safe, non-explosive emergency oxygen unit for a wide variety of emergency applications, ranging from the acute airway or cardiac emergencies to people struggling to breathe from an allergic reaction, asthma attack, fainting from dehydration or drowning incident. The R15 can be classified as an emergency oxygen system because it provides 100% humidified oxygen for up to 15-minutes at a rate of 6 liters per minute. It doesn’t require any batteries or electricity to operate and comes with an easy 3 step activation. This mobile oxygen device may help a victim who is waiting for EMS/EMT to arrive on the scene. Every second without oxygen can have detrimental results, including possible brain damage. That’s why every business, school, airport, golf course, fitness center, and library should be prepared with our safe and easy to use R15 oxygen device.

Connect with Richard and Reed on their website at https://rapidoxygen.com/ Follow Rapid Oxygen on social media Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

A special note: As of today May 2nd when this episode went live. This is my wife's birthday. Would love if you could blow up her email at [email protected] and Facebook page. Wish her a happy birthday.

Subscribe to our podcast also follow us on our social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn

Leave a comment below or record your question or comment and we'll get that on a future episode