WATER HAZARDS IN THE HOME

Press, Volume C, Issue 29706, 27 December 1961, Page 13

WATER HAZARDS IN THE HOME

Need For Ceaseless Care Water safety is not something to be thought about and practised only during the summer, says the National Water Safety Council Particularly where there are little children, it is a subject for thought and action all the year round. It is also not just something to think about and practise at beach lake, or river. In both town and country, water safety begins at home. A toddler can drown in two inches of water, a mere puddle. A half-filled bucket can be fatal. So can open drains, tanks, springs, bowls, and domestic baths. Creeks, streams, pools, ponds, wells, reservoirs. sheep dips, ditches, and dams are serious menaces. At least one or two of these water hazards are found on or near most properties.

The remedy for dealing with permanent water hazards is to fence them off or cover them, says the council. If this cannot be done, children should be made to play in an enclosed yard. As a double check, it is wise not to let them stray out of sight. Someone may have left the gate to danger open in a moment of forgetfulness. This may seem a lot of trouble, but it is the best way to prevent little children from drowning. Forethought and constant vigilance are the price of safety The council says that fortunately many persons are now realising the dangers of exposed sheep dips and other water hazards found on fangis. In South Canterbury 100 sheep dips were filled in or covered during a recent drive by young farmers’ clubs. If such action was taken everywhere the number of children drowned on farms would be considerably reduced. Look around your property for any of the water hazards mentioned above, and do what you can to make them harmless, the council says. Prompt action now may save a life later. When you have taken preventive action, do not forget to be prepared for emergencies. Rescue breathing has saved many children’s lives Even if you have no water hazards around your home, remember that rescue breathing has been used to revive victims of many forms of suffocation Every parent should learn rescue breathing. the council says. General’s Death.— MajorGeneral Julian Barnes, aged 72, who was General Macarthur’s supply officer in Australian in 1941, died yesterday after a short illness.— Southern Pines (North Carolina), December 25.