Water Safety Education & Training 

The pages below provide an overview of drowning from an educational and awareness perspective. 

Based on over twenty years of international research consensus, we define drowning (and also explain what drowning is NOT, including antiquated terms which are no longer accurate. 

The drowning prevention space counts on the collaboration and partnership of other spaces -- ranging from the media/journalism, to the legal field, pediatrics, parents/caregivers, and government -- to help be part of the sea change needed to curb childhood drowning statistics. How we report data matters for public perception -- and even for data collection and reporting itself, since the people reporting information on EMS and hospital reports as well as death certificates are people too, after all. The descriptive reporting matters here, and we can all work together to establish consensus.

To ensure accuracy of data and reporting, we all have an obligation to go back to primary sources to verify accuracy, asking questions from a trusted sources when any datum or piece of information may seem amiss. Trusted sources include DRIPPI, the CDC Foundation, Johns Hopkins Injury Research Unit, or organizational efforts based in research, public health practice, and injury prevention such as Safe Kids Worldwide, SAVIR, Safe States, the Red Cross, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and ISSA (International Swim School Association), which has a dedicated research arm. 

While there are many names and organizations dedicated to the water safety mission, many are either focused on advocacy (and may not have the time nor resources to conduct objective data analysis) or on fundraising and commercial partnerships to survive. We urge those partners to find advisors who know how to navigate primary sources, or to join a consortium like DRIPPI dedicated to the mission over investors' bottom lines. 

We also formally call on all conferences in this space to utilize the disclosure statement process at conferences to help shine light on the conflicts of interest just below the surface. Acknowledging conflicts of interest is the first step towards overcoming the so truly meaningful progress can occur.