Water Safety, Swim Lessons Urged to Keep Riverside County Residents Safe This Summer

RIVERSIDE, CA (May 21, 2025) – With the days getting warmer and summer just around the corner, now is the perfect time to sign up for swim lessons and brush up on water safety tips to keep kids and adults safe whenever in or around water bodies.

The reminder comes as pools, lakes and beaches are expected to be busy with residents stepping out and jumping into summer fun. The Memorial Day holiday, Pools, natural water sources and even tubs and water-filled buckets pose a serious danger for drowning if children or adults are not properly monitored.

"We always need to be aware of each other around water, especially our kids. Drownings can happen in an instant so we must ensure our children and grandchildren take survival swim lessons and learn the rules around the pool," said Riverside County Third District Supervisor and First 5 Commission Chair Chuck Washington. "We encourage families to enroll their children in survival swim lessons, which teach them how to self-rescue in case of accidental immersion into the water."

Children require constant supervision when in or near a body of water. In the event that children accidentally fall into a pool or water, having completed swimming lessons helps increase their water safety.

First 5 Riverside County (F5RC) provides swimming lessons for children aged 6 months to 5 years for eligible families through partnering agencies across the county. These include one-on-one survival and group swimming sessions.

Additional preventive actions include:

• Assign a water watcher whenever people are close to water and never allow someone to swim alone.
• Avoid consuming alcohol and medications that can influence judgment, balance and the ability to swim.
• Get trained in CPR, basic first aid and rescue methods.
• Enroll children in swim lessons with a certified instructor.
• Wear life jackets when on or near natural water sources.

Riverside County Department of Environmental Health (DEH) advises adding barriers around pools.

The fencing should be secure, non-climbable, and should not have any gaps or openings greater than 4 inches. All gates leading into a pool enclosure must be self-closing and self-latching to prevent unsupervised access by a child," said Jeny Maricotte, Program Chief, DEH.

Because drowning doesn't take a holiday, residents are urged to also be mindful of these layers of protection at home and when vacationing at a hotel or at a vacation rental.

Recent findings by Riverside University Health System – Public Health indicate that drownings were the leading cause of death in children 1-4 years of age in Riverside County between 2018 and 2022. During the same period, there were 555 water-related accidents in Riverside County and children aged 0-4 made up 64% of those incidents.

Drowning is 100 percent preventable. That is the good news. We must always be aware of our surroundings, and watchful of others around water," said Dr. Geoffrey Leung, Health Officer for Riverside County Public Health. "Keeping a member or parent are devastating," said Kim Saruwatari, Director, Riverside University Health System – Public Health.

For additional safety tips and resources, visit rivco.org/safety.